Testing a prototype rotary mechanism for GMTIFS

Abstract

The GMTIFS instrument requires multiple rotary mechanisms that will operate in a cryogenic environment. Angular precision up to one arc-second is required without the use of IR sources as part of an encoder. A general design that uses an annular conical rim bearing supported by three pairs of tapered pinch rollers has been proposed. One pair of pinch rollers is mounted on a flexure hinge to provide preload and accommodate thermal expansion. A pair of offset cylindrical cams carried by the rotor, and four capacitive distance sensors fixed to the stator are utilized to implement a resolver. This provides a measure of the rotor orientation that is insensitive to runout of the rotor. A prototype of this design was constructed and tested in the lab to investigate the effect of runout in the tapered rollers and assess the performance of the rim bearing and various resolver designs. We present the results of this testing.