| Thrust stand for vertically oriented electric propulsion performance evaluation. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 21133502 Owner: NLM Status: In-Process |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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A variation of a hanging pendulum thrust stand capable of measuring the performance of an electric thruster operating in the vertical orientation is presented. The vertical orientation of the thruster dictates that the thruster must be horizontally offset from the pendulum pivot arm, necessitating the use of a counterweight system to provide a neutrally stable system. Motion of the pendulum arm is transferred through a balance mechanism to a secondary arm on which deflection is measured. A noncontact light-based transducer is used to measure displacement of the secondary beam. The members experience very little friction, rotating on twisting torsional pivots with oscillatory motion attenuated by a passive, eddy-current damper. Displacement is calibrated using an in situ thrust calibration system. Thermal management and self-leveling systems are incorporated to mitigate thermal and mechanical drifts. Gravitational force and torsional spring constants associated with flexure pivots provide restoring moments. An analysis of the design indicates that the thrust measurement range spans roughly four decades, with the stand capable of measuring thrust up to 12 N for a 200 kg thruster and up to approximately 800 mN for a 10 kg thruster. Data obtained from calibration tests performed using a 26.8 lbm simulated thruster indicated a resolution of 1 mN on 100 mN level thrusts, while those tests conducted on a 200 lbm thruster yielded a resolution of roughly 2.5 mN at thrust levels of 0.5 N and greater. |
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Authors:
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Trevor Moeller; Kurt A Polzin |
Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: The Review of scientific instruments Volume: 81 ISSN: 1089-7623 ISO Abbreviation: Rev Sci Instrum Publication Date: 2010 Nov |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2010-12-07 Completed Date: - Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 0405571 Medline TA: Rev Sci Instrum Country: United States |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 115108 Citation Subset: - |
Affiliation:
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University of Tennessee Space Institute, Tullahoma, Tennessee 37388, USA. tmoeller@utsi.edu |
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Descriptor/Qualifier:
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From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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