To provide a heat treatment apparatus and a method of heat treatment in which optical fiber reinforcement members of a various dimensions are adjusted to appropriate heating forms in the heat treatment of the optical fiber reinforcement members using a plane heat generation body, and the temperature rise of a non-contacted part is suppressed.
The heating process is for heating and contracting the optical fiber reinforcement members 12 which protect the fused and connected part of an optical fiber, in which process a heating part is formed with a flexible plane heat generation body 13 of which the heating part is bent in U-shape, a clamping block 15 which clamps the upper part of the plane heat generation body 13 is adjustable in position, and the open gap or the bottom height of the U-shape is adjusted so that the plane heat generation body 13 is deformed and adjusted to fit to the shape of the optical fiber reinforcement members 12. Further, the heating temperature of the U-shaped side heating part of the heat generation part 13b of the plane heat generation body 13 is set at a temperature lower than that of the central heating part, or a soaking plate made of a metal plate is connected to the heat generation part 13b of the plane heat generation body 13.
HATTORI KAZUNARI
Akinaka Takano
Susumu Iwano