Fibers covering limitations

Fiber reinforcement of polymers allows us to use them in engineering applications that were previously off limits, We use fiber reinforced injection moldings in many under-the-hood automotive applications, such as rocker box covers and front end modules, which support the radiator, cooling fan, and hood latch, that are subjected to a wide range of temperatures. 

There are still two ways of using IR-fibers. First, a little part of the fiber is cut and used as an cylindrical IRE. The second way is to cover a little part of a long fiber where the other parts have the function to transport the light from the source to the sensitive part and to forward it to the detector or spectrometer. Since these fibers have a thickness of several hundred pm up to 1 mm, the number of reflections may be greater, making the detection limit smaller than in the described ATR experiments. 

Weiner et. al. [291] determined the particle size distribution as a function of concentration for a number of colloid suspensions. The results showed the advantage of using single mode fiber optics as a practical tool. A comparison made between this and a previous design was presented and several limiting features summarized. A recent review with 54 references covers basic physics, and experimental methods [292]. Applications of the technique to the determination of mean particle diameter, polydispersity and higher order moments are discussed. 

---