Design of a microNewton Thrust Stand for Low Pressure Characterization of DBD Actuators

Abstract

The design and construction of a torsion balance capable of micronewton resolution is presented. Comparative error analysis of two calibration methods (electrostatic force and logarithmic decrement) is presented, suggesting preference for logarithmic decrement method. Force measurement data from this balance is compared with a commercial precision balance, and found to be in good agreement. Low pressure performance of DBD plasma actuators between a pressure range of 100 to 760 Torr is assessed with the help of this thrust stand. The effect of dielectrics material (Teflon, Kapton) and thickness have been investigated. Experiments suggest that the force first increases upto a certain pressure, after which it drops sharply tending to zero. The amount of force amplification is found to be significant (several-fold) and dependent on the thickness of the dielectric. The power is found to increase with decreasing pressure, resulting in a peak effectiveness a sub-atmospheric pressure.

Design of Test Bench for Measurement of Thrust and Impulse Bits of MEMS-based Micro-thrusters

“…Recent models have proved torsion balance to be a very stable system for thrust and impulse bit measurement. The system incorporates a torsion spring that counters the effect of applied thrust, provides restoring force independent of the thruster mass, and gives high sensitivities (Soni, Zito, & Roy, 2013;Yang, Tu, Yang, & Luo, 2012). The advantage of this system is that, unlike other systems, no long arms are needed for sensitivity.…”

Combustion Characteristics of Hydrogen/Air Mixtures in a Plasma-Assisted Micro Combustor

“…Hydrocarbon combustion remains a very common source of energy in the 21st century around the world [7]. They are usable in battery-powered systems where microgeneration of energy is required due to extremely high-power density and very short reactivation cycles, such as micro and picosatellites and remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) [8][9][10]. It's recalled that hydrocarbon combustion energy density is two orders of magnitude higher than batteries [7].…”