PROCESS FOR PRODUCING GLASS FIBROUS MATERIAL AND APPARATUS THEREFOR

摘要

A process for producing a glass fibrous material in which the performance deterioration attributed to OH groups formed in a glass fibrous material wrought from a glass parent material is inhibited to thereby enable stable production of an optical fiber of high quality; and an apparatus therefor. In this process, at the step of fiber pulling from a glass parent material, the relative humidity of atmosphere around glass parent material (1) inserted in oven (10) is maintained at 0.05 g/kg or less. By virtue of this, the dissolution or diffusion of H2O molecules and OH groups present in the atmosphere around glass parent material (1) into the internal portion of glass parent material (1) during heating can be prevented to thereby enable reducing the amount of OH remaining in the optical fiber produced.