Correlation between thermal and mechanical relaxation in chalcogenide glass fibers

Enthalpy relaxation processes in chalcogenide fibers at room temperature are investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and compared with bending-stress relaxation measurements obtained by rolling fibers on a mandrel and recording the viscoelastic relaxation parameters. While the kinetics of the two processes is very different, several qualitative correlations are demonstrated between the enthalpy state and the mechanical properties of chalcogenide glass fibers. It is observed that the ability to undergo stress relaxation is dependent upon the fictive temperature of the glass. Stress relaxation in a glass far from thermodynamic equilibrium is contingent upon its ability to undergo enthalpy relaxation and is minimal in glasses that have already relaxed enthalpy or in which relaxation time is overwhelmingly large.