If you are well prepared for the laboratory, it is much less likely that an accident will occur. In the laboratory, you are responsible not only for your safety, but also for the safety of your classmates. If an accident happens because you are not prepared, it can also affect your friends. This is all the more reason for you to take the time and make the effort to prepare for the laboratory. Be sure to note the safety warnings listed in the Safety section of each experiment.
Fusion Splicing. Fusion splicing is the process of fusing or welding two fibers together usually by an electric arc. Fusion splicing is the most widely used method of splicing as it provides for the lowest loss and least reflectance, as well as providing the strongest and most reliable joint between two fibers. Virtually all singlemode splices are fusion.
The following sections of this application note specifically address the single fiber fusion. splicing method. However, many of the areas discussed below - for example, loss factors, fiber preparation, fiber alignment and testing - are common both to mechanical and to. fusion splicing techniques.