Fluid bearings having fiber support channel for supporting optical fiber during optical fiber draw process

A fluid bearing for directing optical fibers during manufacturing is presented. The fluid bearing provides a flow of fluid to levitate and direct an optical fiber along a process pathway. The opticalfiber is situated in a fiber slot and subjected to an upward force from fluid flowing from an inner radial position of the fiber slot past the optical fiber to an outer radial position of the fiber slot. The levitating force of fluid acting on the optical fiber is described by a convex force curve, according to which the upward levitating force on the optical fiber increases as the optical fiber moves deeper in the slot. Better stability in the positioning of the optical fiber in the fiber slot is achieved and contact of the optical fiber with solid surfaces of the fluid bearing is avoided. Various fluid bearing structures for achieving a convex force curve are described. 提出了在制造期间引导光纤的流体轴承。所述流体轴承提供了流体流以悬浮光纤并沿着工艺路径引导光纤。所述光纤位于光纤槽中并经受向上力，所述向上力来自从光纤槽的内部径向位置流动通过光纤而流到光纤槽的外部径向位置的流体。作用在光纤上的流体的悬浮力通过凸形力曲线来描述，根据该凸形力曲线，随着光纤在槽