Design and fabrication of a full elastic sub-micron-Newton scale thrust measurement system for plasma micro thrusters

Abstract

In this work, a force measurement system is proposed to measure the thrust of plasma microthruster with thrust magnitude ranging from sub-micro-Newtons to hundreds micro-Newtons. The thrust measurement system uses an elastic torsional pendulum structure with a capacitance sensor to measure the displacement, which can reflect the position change caused by the applied force perpendicular to the pendulum axis. In the open-loop mode, the steady-state thrust or the impulse of the plasma micro-thruster can be obtained from the swing of the pendulum, and in the closed-loop mode the steady-state thrust can be obtained from the feedback force that keeps the pendulum at a specific position. The thrust respond of the system was calibrated using an electrostatic weak force generation device. Experimental results show that the system can measure a thrust range from 0 to 200 μN in both open-loop mode and closed-loop mode with a thrust resolution of 0.1 μN, and the system can response to a pulse bit at the magnitude of 0.1 mN s generated by a micro cathode arc thruster. The background noise of the closed-loop mode is lower than that of the open-loop mode, both less than 0.1 / mN Hz in the range of 10 mHz to 5 Hz.

Study on the ablation performance of semiconductor lasers on different materials

“…Depending on the laser parameters and the type of working medium, the minimum impulse can be controlled in the order of 10 -4 ~ 10 -9 N• s, and the minimum thrust can be in the order of 10 -7 ~ 10 -4 N• s [2,3]. In previous studies, Phipps [4][5][6][7], Myrabo [8], Bohn [9] et al, abroad, CAI Jian [10], Zheng Zhiyuan [11], Ye Jifei [12] et al, have carried out a large number of studies on the interaction mechanism between laser and matter and obtained some fruitful conclusions. However, in the past, the interaction between high-power lasers such as YAG lasers and CO2 lasers and matter has been mostly studied.…”

Impacts of laser pulse width and target thickness on laser micro-propulsion performance

“…Hence, new micropropulsion systems for micro-/nano-satellites with different functionalities have emerged [5][6][7][8]. As an alternative, the laser propulsion system has attracted more and more attention, having the characteristics of high specific impulse, low power consumption, and low volume and weight [9][10][11][12].…”

Interface Adhesion Property and Laser Ablation Performance of GAP-PET Double-Layer Tape with Plasma Treatment

“…Therefore, many different kinds of micro–nano satellite micro-propulsion systems have emerged in recent years [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. As an alternative, the laser propulsion system has attracted more and more attention due to its characteristics of high specific impulse, low power consumption, small size, and light weight [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”