An Experimental Study of the Dynamics of Fiber Optic Bundles

An experimental investigation was made to establish the feasibility of using a flexible fiber optics bundle in a dynamic application. It is shown that, by controlling its configuration during motion, it is possible to oscillate one end of the bundle at high speeds over a large excursion. With reinforced bundle sheathing, speeds as high as 7 c/s have been achieved without any defects after 2 x 10(6) c/s. Possible applications of this type of moving fiber bundle are in printing, scanning, display, and photocomposing. In addition to other system advantages gained from its use in these areas, a flexible fiber bundle is not limited by field coverage as are conventional optical systems.