A state space model for modern feedback control of optical fiber drawing process

Fiber diameter nonuniformities in optical fiber drawing processes can have adverse effects on system performance. In this paper we develop a method for obtaining models of the drawing process that lend themselves to the application of optimal control of fiber diameter nonuniformities. The method presented here consists of using the basic conservation laws of mass, momentum, and energy to construct state space models of the drawing process that incorporate all the relevant variables of the system in a multiple-input/multiple-output framework. An LQG optimal controller is synthesized to illustrate the applicability of the state space model.