Coated optical fiber with improved strippability

An optical fiber Ä10Ü having protective coating materials Ä14, 15Ü, which surround an elongated strand of glass Ä12Ü, is designed for improved strippability. Preferably, the optical fiber includes two layers (primary and secondary) of radiation-cured polymeric materials surrounding the glass fiber. The primary layer has an equilibrium (in-situ) modulus that resides within the range 120 to 500 psi. Additionally, the primary coating has a pull-out force (adhesion) that is less than 1.2 pounds per centimeter of length (Ib/cm), and preferably resides within the range 0.5 to 1.0 Ib/cm. It has been found that by increasing the equilibrium modulus, delamination resistance is increased. This has allowed designers to decrease pull-out force while maintaining a suitable delamination resistance. As a result, coating materials can now be stripped away from a glass fiber with little or no residue. This is particularly important in situations where a group of such fibers are bound together in an array Ä20Ü by a matrix bonding material Ä21Ü.