8/20/2015

Designingfordimensionalstabilityinspace:CompositesWorld

SUBSCRIBE|ENEWSLETTER
FastReliableCompositesNews.

ZONES

ARTICLES

SOURCEBOOK

PRODUCTS

NEWS

BLOG

WEBINARS

CALENDAR

Wouldyoulikeafreedigitalsubscription?
QualifiedinternationalsubscriberscanreceivefullissuesofHighPerformance
CompositesandCompositesTechnologydeliveredinaconvenientandinteractive
digitalmagazineformat.Readatyourconvenienceonyourdesktopormobiledevice.

Yes,Iwouldlikeafreedigitalsubscription!
Nothanks,pleasedon'taskagain.

CONFERENCES

LEARNMORE
RelatedSuppliers
CytecAerospaceMaterialsHQ
FARO
Henkel
Hexcel
NipponGraphiteFiberCorp.
TenCateAdvancedComposites
FairfieldCA
TorayCarbonFibersAmericaInc.
VanguardSpaceTechnologiesInc.

July2005
Zones
CAD/CAM/FEA/Simulation

Designingfordimensionalstabilityinspace
Theaccuracyoforbitinginstrumentsdependsonskillfullydesignedandmanufactured
compositecomponents.
Author:NancyPottish
40

Postedon:7/1/2005
HighPerformanceComposites

ClickImagetoEnlarge

Source: Swales AerospaceThe

optical bench for the Hubble
Wide Field Camera 3,
fabricated by Swales
Aerospace.

Source: Vanguard
CompositesThe front reflector
shell mold for the Telkom
reflector also is used as an
assembly fixture. The shell
and starshaped backup
structure have been bonded
together. The inner Kevlar
shell has a similar backup
structure.

Whenasatelliteorscientificinstrumentissentintospace,it
mustfirstsurvivetheharshlaunchenvironmentandthenbe
abletoaccuratelyorientitselfinordertotransmitdatatoand
fromspecificlocationsinspaceorbackonearth.Called
"pointingaccuracy,"thisabilitydependstoagreatextentnot
onlyonthedimensionalaccuracyofpayloadstructures,but
theirdimensionalstabilityduringtransportintoorbitand
throughoutanoftenlengthymission.
Atlaunch,therearemajorshock,noiseandvibrationloads
encounteredduringthetwominuteperiodwhentherocket
leavesearth'senvironment.Oncethespacestructureisinorbit,
itiscriticalthatallitscomponentsremaininthesamerelative
positiontoeachotherdespiteextremetemperaturechanges.To
accomplishthis,designersandmanufacturersmusttakeinto
accountanumberoffactors,includingstiffness,thermal
gradientsandmoisture,aswellasbuildandassembly
tolerances.
Compositesplayakeyroleinsuchmissions.Theirsuperior
strengthandstiffnesstoweightandlowcoefficientofthermal
expansion(CTE)offerthebestcasematerialsoption.Thatsaid,
designersandmanufacturersofcompositespacestructuresstill
faceformidablechallengesintheireffortstoensurelongterm
dimensionalstability.Asthefollowingprojectsillustrate,
compositematerialsproperlyselectedandprocessedare
uptothetask.
TheTelkom2.0MeterReflector
TheTelkom2satelliteisscheduledtobelaunchedinto

http://www.compositesworld.com/articles/designingfordimensionalstabilityinspace

1/8

8/20/2015

Source: Vanguard
CompositesThe complex
contours of the completed
Telkom reflector assembly
created challenging lay up
conditions but are necessary
for sending reflected radio
frequency waves to a precise
geographical location.

Source: Vanguard
CompositesTable 1: Telkom
2.0 M Dualshell Reflector
requirements vs. predicted
and actual measurements.

Source: JHU/APLAt top, an

artist's section view of the
CRISM baffle assembly shows
the contoured vanes. Below,
the actual baffle assembly is
shown with vanes bonded in
place.

Source: Vanguard
CompositesThe CTX Camera
structure including heaters,is
mounted to a vibration stand
through an electronics box. A
threeaxis accelerometer is
attached near the sunshade.

Vanguard Composites
engineered and fabricated
the optical bench assembly,
the primary mirror baffle, the
sunshade and sunshade
fittings for the CTX Camera
Structure, shown in linear
crosssection in this artist's
conception. The entire
assembly, minus the
electronics box, weighed just
3.7 kg/1.7 lb.

Designingfordimensionalstabilityinspace:CompositesWorld

geosynchronousorbitlatethisyear.ItwasbuiltbyOrbital
SciencesCorp.(Dulles,Va.)forIndonesia'sstateowned
telecommunicationscompany,PTTelkomunikasiIndonesia
Tbk(Telkom).Thesatellitewillbeusedforvoice,videoand
datacommunicationsfortheregionofIndonesia,SouthernAsia
andtheIndiansubcontinent.TheTelkom2featurestwo
2.0m/6.56ftreflectorantennae,builtbyVanguardComposites
Group(SanDiego,Calif.),asupplierofengineering,testand
assemblyservicestospaceanddefenseindustrycustomers.
Eachantennaconsistsofanelementcalledafeedhorn,which
radiatesenergy,andacurvedreflectingsurfacewhichreceives
signalsfromthefeedhornandreflectstheminanarrowbeamto
therequiredlocationonEarth.
Inviewofthelossinsignalstrengththatoccurswhenradio
wavestravelfromgeosynchronousorbittoearth(35,000kmor
22,000miles)asatellite'santennamustincorporatealarge
amountofgain.Gainistheabilityoftheantennatofocusradio
wavesinasingledirection.
Antennagainisafunctionofthediameterofthereflecting
surface,thesurfaceaccuracyofthereflectorandthesignal
wavelength.Theshapeofthereflectorandtheprecise
distancesbetweenandorientationsofthereflectorcomponents
areacriticaldesignandbuildconcern.Telkomandother
commercialsatellitesuseCbandfrequencieswhichareonthe
orderof4to18GHz.Vanguard'sdualshellantennadesign
(pat.pend.)usestwofeedhornssendingsignalstoadualshell
antennareflector,oneunitwithtworeflectingsurfaces,which
givestheantennaagreatereffectivesurfaceareainalmostthe
samesizeenvelope.Thesignalsfromthefeedhornsare
polarizedsothatsignalspolarizedinonedirectionarereflected
offthefrontreflectorshellandthoseoftheoppositepolarization
passthroughthisfirstshellandreflectoffthesecondshell.In
ordertogetthesignalfromonefeedhorntoreflectoffthefront
shelltoEarthyethavesignalsfromtheotherfeedhornpass
throughthefrontshellandreflectoffthebackshell,thefront
shellmusthavealowdielectricresistancetowavesofone
polarization,yetbereflectiveforradiofrequency(RF)wavesin
theoppositepolarization.Thisisaccomplishedbymakingthe
entirestructureinfrontoftherearshellfromlowdielectric
materials,facedwithapolarizinggridofKaptonpolyimidefilm,
suppliedbyDupont(Circleville,Ohio).Thefilmispartially
metallizedwithaparallelgridofcopperribbons.
ThereflectorshapewasgiventoVanguardbyOrbitalSciences
intheformofequationswhichVanguardimportedintoIDEAS
CADsoftware,fromUGS(formerlyUnigraphicsSolutions,
Plano,Texas).UsingIDEAS,Vanguardwasabletotranslate
theequationsintoaphysicalshapefromwhichtodesignthe
reflectorandthemolds.Theseequationsandresultingsurface
shapeswerecalculatedtoprovideRFpatternshapesthat
matchthegeographicallocationswherethecustomerwishesto
transmitsignals.
Designdriversforthereflectorwereoverallstructuralstiffness,
asmanufacturedsurfaceaccuracy,onorbitsurfacedistortions
andweightandinterfacetolerances.Therearetypicallyfive
interfacepointsonthesereflectors:onefittingthattiestothe
hingeorgimbalthatwillallowthereflectortodeployinorbit,and
fourholddown/releasemechanisms.Thesewerespecifiedto
bewithin0.12mmto0.25mm(0.005inchto0.010inch)of
design.
VanguardusedMSC.Nastranfiniteelementanalysis
(MSC.Software,SantaAna,Calif.)togeneratethedesign
configurationandtopredictstructuralperformanceandonorbit
thermaldistortion.Structuralperformanceisdefinedintermsof

http://www.compositesworld.com/articles/designingfordimensionalstabilityinspace

2/8

8/20/2015

Designingfordimensionalstabilityinspace:CompositesWorld

modeshapeandminimumnaturalfrequencyinthestowedand
deployedcondition.Duringlaunch,vibrationandacousticnoise
canreachextremelyhighdecibellevels,sothestowed
frequenciesarethemorecriticalrequirements.CarlSloan,
managerofVanguard'sspacestructuresbusinessarea,
explains,"Theminimumnaturalfrequencywasspecifiedtobe
above55Hz,butwepredictedandachievedmuchhigherthan
thatonthisprogram."(SeeTable1)

The highly polished aluminum

mandrel for the sunshade
cone

Thepredictedasmanufacturedsurfaceaccuracywasverified
afterthereflectorshellswerefabricated.Vanguardmeasures
surfaceaccuracyininchesRMS(rootmeansquare)usingan
SMXlasertracker(technologynowownedbyFARO
TechnologiesInc.,LakeMary,Fla.)tomapabout3,000
coordinatepointsoneachreflectorshell.Alasertrackerprojects
alaserbeamontoareflectivesphericaltargetwhilethetracker
operatormovesthetargetoverapartsurface.Thebeam
reflectsbackintothetrackerwherepartofthebeamissent
throughanelectroopticalsystemthatmeasuresdistanceand
anglefromthetrackertothetarget,whiletheotherpartofthe
beamgoestoapositionsensingdetectorthathelpsguidethe
beam.Toensureaccuracyofabout0.001inchper16ft(25
micronsper5m),thetrackercantakeasmanyas1,000
samplespersecond.

Onorbitthermaldistortionswerepredictedusingthethermal
analysisportionofNastran.Thermaldistortionsinthesurfaceof
thereflectoraltertheangleofthesignalenergyandthereforeitsfocalpointonEarth,
reducingdatatransmissionquality.Asthesatelliteorbitstheeartheverydayduringits15
yearlifespan,itseesatemperaturerangefrom160Cto115C(256Fto239F).At
differentpointsinitsorbit,therewillbedifferenttemperaturegradientsoverthereflector
surface.SaysSloan,"Youneedtolookatmanydifferentcasesbecauseyou'renotreally
surewhichofthosetemperaturegradientswillgiveyoutheworstthermaldistortion.Of
course,thiswholeproblemgoesawayifyoucandesignazeroCTEsystem."Another
waytodecreasetemperaturegradientsonthereflectoristousematerialswhichpossess
highthermalconductivitysothattheyreachasteadystatemorequickly.Communications
satellitesmustperformwithoutinterruption,soitiscriticaltopreservefocusaccuracyby
keepingthereflector'ssurfacestableduringtemperaturechangeswhileinearthorbit.
CompositesmanufacturerCanyonComposites(Anaheim,Calif.)moldedthereflector
components,whichthenwereassembledandtestedbyVanguard.Thefrontreflector
shellisathinKevlarsandwichstructure,withskinsconsistingoftwotothreepliesof32
percentresincontent,120styleKevlar49/RS12Mcyanateesterprepreg(YLAAdvanced
CompositeMaterials,Benicia,Calif.)anda6mm/0.25inchKOREXaramidphenolic
honeycombcorefromDuPontAdvancedFiberSystems(Richmond,Va.).Thepolarizing
layer,aKaptonfilmwithanetworkofparallelcoppergridwork,iscocuredontothefront
surfaceofthereflector.Sincetherearshelldoesnothavetoberadiotransparent,the
prepregskinsfortherearsandwichweremadefromYLA'swovenM55J/YLARS3C
carbon/cyanateesterprepreg.M55JisaToray78Msi/540GPamodulusfiber(Toray
CarbonFibersAmericaInc.,FlowerMound,Texas),andthefabriciswovenbySigmatex
HighTechnologyFabricsInc.(Benicia,Calif.).BothKevlarandhighmodulusPANfibers
likeM55JhavenegativeCTEsintheaxialdirectionandpositiveCTEsintheradial
direction.WhencombinedwiththepositiveCTEoftheresin,alaminatecanbetailored
fromeitherfibertohaveanearzeroCTE.Cyanateesterresinisusedforitslowmoisture
absorption,resistancetomicrocracking(whichcanoccurfromthermalcycling),good
servicetemperatureandlowdielectricproperties.
ThelaminateswerelayeduponmonolithicgraphitemoldssuppliedbyCoastComposites
Inc.(Irvine,Calif.),andvacuumbagcured.Therearandfrontshellaredifferentshapes,
soeachhaditsownmold.VanguardusesmonolithicgraphitetomakeitszeroCTE
structuresbecauseofitslowCTE(0.6ppm/Cor1ppm/F),goodthermalconductivity
andlightweight.Therelatively"soft"materialmachinesquicklyandeasilybutisless
suitableforhighvolumetooling.Compositetoolingissometimesusedforthistypeof
applicationbecauseitislighterthanmonolithicgraphite,hasanevenlowerCTE,andthe
rawmaterialsaremuchcheaper.Butcompositetoolsaremoldedoffamaster,andthis
cancreateaccuracyproblems.
Sloansaystherearemanytradeoffsinvolvedindesigningforsurfaceaccuracyofadual
http://www.compositesworld.com/articles/designingfordimensionalstabilityinspace

3/8

8/20/2015

Designingfordimensionalstabilityinspace:CompositesWorld

shellreflector."InordertooptimizetheRFperformanceoftherearreflectorshell,thefront
shellmustbeadielectricmaterialtoallowgoodtransmissionoftheRFsignal."Kevlaris
theonlymaterialused,becausequartzistooheavy.Kevlar,however,isnotverystiff.
"Youcanimprovethesurfaceaccuracyofthefrontshellbyaddingsupportstructure
behindit,"Sloannotes,"butattheexpenseofdegradingthesignalreceivedbytherear
shell.Also,wecouldgetalowerandmorepredictableCTEifwedidn'tusecore,which
hasafairlyhighCTEandcanabsorbvariableamountsofresin.Butbecauseofthesizeof
thereflectorneededforthesesatellites,wehavetousecoreforstiffness.Fortunatelythey
don'tneedtobequiteasaccurateasaveryhightechscientificinstrument,whichtypically
willspecifya0.0005inchto0.002inchRMScomparedtothe0.006inchRMSrequired
forTelkom."
Witharamid,athirdcomplicatingfactorindimensionalstabilityismoistureuptakepriorto
manufacture.JohnMarks,Vanguard'sdirectorofmaterialsandprocessengineering,
pointstominimizingmoisturepickupasonekeymanufacturingchallengealwayspresent
withKevlar/cyanateesterparts."Kevlarabsorbsmoistureeasilybutcyanateestercuring
isinhibitedbythepresenceofwater.Weareverycarefultominimizemoisturepickup
beforecure,intheKevlar,thecoreandthebaggingmaterials.Wealsomodifythecureto
getridofanymoisturethatmaybepresentbeforetheresincrosslinks."Headdsthat
"oncecured,moistureabsorptionanddesorptionarenotaprobleminspace(asregards
thereflectorsurfaceaccuracy)becausethelaminateissothinthatmoisturecanventout
ofthelaminateveryquickly."AnotherchallengethattheVanguardteamhasworked
throughisgettingthearamidcoretoconformtothebumpysurfacecontours.Markssays
they'vedevelopedaproprietarymethodfordoingso,whichworkswell.
Oncetheshellsweremade,assemblybegan.Acylindricalrimwhichseparatesthetwo
shellsatatiltandthebackupribsforthefrontshellwerelayedupfromthesame
Kevlar/aramidhoneycombconstruction.Ribsfortherearshellweremadeusingcured
carbonplates.Thecuredpieceswerethencutbyhandwithtemplatestonearnetshape
andhandfittopreciselymatchtheshellsurfaces.Theassemblywasbondedtogetherina
handmadefixturewithHenkelCorp.'s(BayPoint,Calif.)Hysolroomtemperatureepoxy,
EA956forthefrontshell(moredielectric)andEA9394fortherear(morestructural).
Bondlinesweredesignedtominimizestresses.Marksnotesthatthecostpressure
associatedwiththeoneoffnatureofreflectorbuildsdrivestheassemblyprocesstobe
craftsmanratherthanfixtureintensive.Thefinalstepinassemblyistobondonthehinge
interfaceandholddownreleasemechanisms,whicharetitaniumandInvarinserts,
respectively,bondedintocompositefittingsthatafterwardarebondedtotherearreflector
shellbetweentheribstructures.
Vanguardthenverifiedthatthereflectorassemblymetcustomerspecificationsthrougha
batteryofspecializedtestingprocedures.Thermaldistortionwasmeasuredviahighly
accuratephotogrammetrycamerasbycomparingthesurfaceimagebeforeandaftera
thermalcycle.Toverifythatthereflector'sminimumnaturalfrequencymetorexceeded
predictions,accelerometerswereattachedtothereflectorandthenitwasmountedintoa
fixtureatitsfiveattachmentinterfacesandshakeninthreeaxesindependently.Inthe
acousticexposuretest,thereflector,accelerometersandfixturewereplacedinan
acousticchamberandsubjectedtonoiseatlowlevel,highleveland,again,lowlevel.
Afterwards,theaccelerationresponsesfromthetwolowleveltestswerecomparedto
verifystructuralintegrity.(Fortestresults,seeTable1onp.38.)Structuralintegrityalso
wascheckedafterexposuretovacuum,usingthesimpleandreliablecointapmethod.If
problemsarefound,arepairprotocolmustbedevelopedbut,fortunately,thathasrarely
occurred.Vanguardhasbeenmakingreflectorsforaboutthreeyearsnow,andisplanning
todoubleitsreflectorbusinessfromthecurrentlevelofaboutfourtoeightreflectorsper
year.
TheMarsReconnaissanceOrbiterCamera
InAugustofthisyear,NASAplanstolaunchamultipurposespacecraftnamedtheMars
ReconnaissanceOrbiter(MRO)fromCapeCanaveral,Fla.aboardanAtlasVrocket.
ScientistswillusethespacecrafttostudytheMartiansurface,monitortheatmosphere
andprobeundergroundtosearchforwaterandevidenceoflife.Thespacecraftwillbegin
orbitingMarsinMarchof2006,startingwithahighlyellipticalorbit.Themissionwilluse
aerobrakingforthefollowingsixmonthstomodifytheorbit,achievingamorecircular
shapethatisbettersuitedtoscientificobservations,savingapproximately450kg/992lbin
fuel.Aerobrakingreliesonrepeated,carefullycontrolleddipsintotheupperatmosphere
wherefrictionwiththeatmosphereslowsthespacecraft.TheMarsReconOrbiterwill
beginitssciencephaseinNovemberof2006andoperatefortwoEarthyears.Toperform
itsmission,theorbiterwillcarrysixscientificinstruments,includingtheCompact
http://www.compositesworld.com/articles/designingfordimensionalstabilityinspace

4/8

8/20/2015

Designingfordimensionalstabilityinspace:CompositesWorld

ReconnaissanceImagingSpectrometerforMars(CRISM),avisible/nearinfrared
spectrometerdesignedtosearchforevidenceofwaterdepositsandmapMartiangeology
andsurfacecomposition,andthetheContextCamera(CTX),whichwillprovidewidearea
views.
Vanguardisresponsiblefortheengineering,fabricationandvibrationtestingoftheCTX
camerastructure.Thestructureconsistsofthreesubassemblies:thesunshade,which
providesstraylightandpassivethermalcontrol;theprimarymirrorbaffle,whichcontrols
straylightontheprimarymirror;andtheopticalbenchassembly,whichhousessixoptical
elementsandadetector.Theopticalsystemdesignandsystemintegrationandtheoptical
elementswereprovidedbyKaiserElectroOptics(Carlsbad,Calif.).Theopticalbench
assemblyconsistsofacylindricalcamerastructurewiththeopticalbenchmountedonthe
insideatoneendwhilethesunshadeassemblyismountedontheothersideviaa
titaniumlenscell.Theentireassemblyismountedtotheorbiterthroughthealuminum
electronicsboxontitaniumflexures.Cantileveredoutforatotallengthofmorethan66
cm/26inches,thecameraassemblymustbeextremelylightandstifftomaintaingood
opticalperformance.Theentireassembly,whendelivered,willweighonly3.7kg/1.7lb.
Thedesignrequirementsforthesystem'sservicetemperatureinorbitweresetat20Cto
+60C(4Fto140F)withspikesof80C/144Fbeyondthat,andthermalgradientsas
highas30C/54F.
Toachieveoverallsystemdimensionalstability,VanguarddesignedtheCTEofthebench
assemblytobe0.14ppm/C(0.08ppm/F).Inaddition,thecamerastructurehadtobe
abletosurviveaerobraking,duringwhichcertainpartsofthecamerawouldseemuch
hottertemperaturesthanwheninorbit.
VanguardselectedCytecEngineeredMaterials'(Tempe,Ariz.)M55J/9543prepreg,
whichmetalloutgassing,volatilesandmechanicalpropertyrequirements.Canyon
Compositeswasagainchosentofabricatethesubcomponents.Allthecomponents
excepttheprimarymirrorbaffleare0.76mm/0.030inchthickquasiisotropic(0,60,
120)slayups,madefrom32percentresincontentand0.06mm/0.0025inchthick
prepregandautoclavecured.Thesmall5cmdiameterby5.7cmlong(2inchby2.25
inch)primarymirrorbafflewaslayedupwithonlythreeplies(0,60).Allthetoolswere
aluminum,withtheirdimensionsadjustedtoaccountforthethermalexpansionof
aluminumduringthe177C/350Fcure.
ToensurethatthecamerastructuremetCTErequirements,flatcouponsandthe20cm
diameterby23cmlong(8inchby9inch)cameracylinderstructureweresubjectedto
testsforCTEatPMIC(PrecisionMeasurementsandInstrumentsCorp.,Corvallis,Ore.)
usingMichelsonlaserinterferometry.Usingthismethod,PMICreportedlycandetermine
CTEtowithin10partsperbillioninrealtimeoverawiderangeoftemperaturesand
samplesizes.KnowingtheCTEofthecylinder,Vanguardlaterwasabletofinetunethe
locationoftheopticalelementsanddetectorinthebenchforoptimalperformance.
OnceCanyonhaddeliveredtheprimarymirrorbaffle,cylinder,sunshadecone,andthe
flatpiecesforthebenchandsunshadebafflewereCNCroutedtofinaldimensions,
VanguardbondedandassembledeverythinginaluminumfixturesusingHenkel'sHysol
EA9394roomtemperaturecureepoxy.Preciselylocatingandbondingthesix0.38
mm/0.015inchthickinternallightbafflestotheinsideofthesunshadewasoneofthe
biggestchallengesoftheproject.Aftertheinsideoftheconeshapedsunshadewas
abradedbyhand,eachbafflehadtobepreciselylocatedwithinit.DeanSzwabowski,
Canyon'sbusinessmanagerofdimensionallystablestructures,comments:"Wehadto
bondoneringin,putdownspacertools,bondthenextring,putdownanothertool,andso
onuntilwehadassembledallsevenbaffles.Thenaftertheadhesivehadsetup,wehad
tofishthespacersoutofthisfragilestructurewithoutdamagingit."
CRISMmineraldetectioninstrument
ForthesamemissiontoMars,theCRISMinstrument,designedandbuiltbyJohns
HopkinsUniversityAppliedPhysicsLaboratory(JHU/APL,LaurelMd.),willreadthe
hundredsof"colors"inreflectedsunlighttodetectpatternsthatindicatecertainminerals
ontheMartiansurface,includingthesignaturetracesofpastwater.TheJHU/APLteam
tookadifferentapproachtothedesignofitsstraylightbaffle.Insteadofflatplatesinside
thebaffletube,theCRISMbaffleusescupshapedvanes.Also,becauseoftheorientation
ofCRISMontheMRO,halfthelightbaffleisintheflowofheatgeneratedduringaero
brakingandhalfisshieldedandexperiencesnoheating.Toreducetheextreme
temperaturegradientsthiscouldcauseinthebaffleandtomeetthesystemstiffnessand
massrequirements,JHU/APLdecidedthatthebaffleassemblyshouldbefabricatedfrom
ahighstiffness,highlythermallyconductivepitchfibercompositeratherthantheM55J
http://www.compositesworld.com/articles/designingfordimensionalstabilityinspace

5/8

8/20/2015

Designingfordimensionalstabilityinspace:CompositesWorld

PANcarbonfiberusedtomaketheCTXbaffle.Pitchfiberstendtopossesshigher
stiffnessandgreaterthermalconductivitythanPANbasedfibers.Inaddition,alaminate
configurationwasselectedthatwouldprovideaxialandcircumferentialconductivity,thus
spreadingtheheatuniformlythroughoutthebaffle.
Thebaffletubewaslayeduponanaluminummandrel.Althoughtheinsidediameter(ID)
ofthebaffletubewasnotcritical,theoutsidediameter(OD)ofthetoolwasselectedto
account,asmuchaspossible,forthethermalexpansionofthealuminumtool/composite
partcombination.ThetubewasfabricatedwithMitsubishiChemicalAmericaInc.
(Chesapeake,Va.)DialeadK13C2UunidirectionalprepregsuppliedbyYLA(Benicia,
Calif.)withYLA'sRS3cyanateesterresinatafiberarealweightof85g/m2,foraply
thicknessof0.06mm(0.0025inch).DialeadK13C2Upitchfiberhasatensilemodulusof
130Msi/896GPa,atensilestrengthof550ksi/3.8GPa,andthermalconductivityof620
W/mK.The(90,45,45)slaminatewith(0,90)sdoublersoneachendwaslayedup
withtheaidofatapewrappingmachine.Apredriednylonshrinktapedebulkwas
performedaftereachply,thenthetubewasautoclavecuredwithadoublewrapofnylon
tapeundervacuumat177C/350F,276kPa/40psi.
Insidethetubearecontouredcompositevaneswhicharepositionedanddimensionedto
deflectasmuchstraylightaspossible.JHU/APLmaterialsandprocessengineerPaul
Wienholdexplains,"Flatplatesrequirecomplextoolingandprecisemachiningofeach
vanetolocatethemandpreventtheoccurrenceofagapwhichwouldallowstraylightto
passunlessitisfilledwithafilletofadhesive.Theuseofonepiececupshapedvanes
eliminatestheseproblems."
ThebafflevaneswerefabricatedfromacombinationoffourpartialpliesofK13C2U/RS3
unidirectionalprepregtapeandfourfullpliesofNipponGraphiteFiberCorp.'s(Tokyo,
Japan)GranocYSH70A5harnesssatin/RS3atanarealweightof140g/m2
(0.13mm/0.005inchplythickness).
Theunidirectionalmaterial,whichwastoostifftoconformtothecurvatureofthevane
withoutbreaking,wasappliedtotheflatareaofthevanesincontactwiththebaffletube,
sothatitshighthermalconductivitycouldbestbeusedtodispersetheheatabsorbedby
thebafflefromsolarradiation.
"Whathasmadethefabricationofthesecupshapedvanespossibleistheavailabilityof
pitchfabricprepreg,"Wienholdnotes."TheYSH70Afabricconformstotheradiused
shapeofthevaneswithoutbreaking."WhilenotasthermallyconductiveastheK13C2U
tape,YSH70Afabricowesitsextremelydrapeablenaturetothesmalldiameterofthe
fiberandthe5harnessweave.Itwasusedforthepliesthatcoveredtheentirepart,
includingtheradiusedsidewalls.
Eachvanewasautoclavecuredonamalealuminumtool.Sincetheoutsideofeachvane
mateswiththeinsideofthebaffletube,twoiterationsoftoolsizewererequiredbefore
achievingarepeatablevaneoutsidediameterthatresultedina0.18mmto0.25mm
(0.007to0.010inch)bondline.Theassemblyprocessconsistedofbondingthevanes
intothetubeatroomtemperature,usingHenkelEA9394epoxy.Toolsforeachvane
matchedthevane'sinsidesurfaceandwereboltedtoacommonbaseplate.Toollengths
correspondedtothevane'slocationinthebaffletube.
WFC3OpticalBench
TheWideFieldCamera3(WFC3)wasdevelopedtoreplacetheWideFieldandPlanetary
Camera2(WF/PC2)ontheHubbleSpaceTelescope(HST).WF/PC2producedmostof
thestunningimagesthathavewowedthepublicandthescientificcommunitysince1993,
whenitreplacedWF/PC1.WFC3,builtbyateamledbyGoddardSpaceFlightCenter,will
besensitivetowavelengthsfromthenearultraviolettothenearinfraredandwould
expandtheHubbleSpaceTelescope'sdiscoveryefficiencybynearlytenfold.Scheduled
tobedeliveredontheSpaceShuttleaspartofHubble'sServiceMission4,whichwas
cancelledinJanuaryof2004,WFC3'sfutureaswellasthatoftheHSTisnowuncertain.
ButinabudgetandoperatingupdatetoasenateappropriationssubcommitteeonMay
12,NASA'snewadministrator,MichaelGriffin,committedtoreassessthecancellation
followingtwosuccessful"returntoflight"missionsfortheShuttle.
TheWFC3isconfiguredasatwochannelinstrument.TheincomingbeamfromtheHST
isdirectedintotheinstrumentusingapickoffmirrorandisthensenttoeitheranear
UV/Visible(UVIS)channeloranearIRchannel.TheopticalperformanceofWFC3
dependsonthebenchmanufacturer'sabilitytominimizedistortionoftheopticalbench,
whichhousesallthecriticalopticalcomponentsoftheinstrument.
http://www.compositesworld.com/articles/designingfordimensionalstabilityinspace

6/8

8/20/2015

Designingfordimensionalstabilityinspace:CompositesWorld

TheopticalbenchfortheWFC3wasbuiltbySwalesAerospaceInc.(Beltsville,Md.).This
fullservicedesign,engineeringandsmallsatellitefabricationfirmalsospecializesin
structuresandthermalmanagementsystems,primarilyforspaceflightapplications.The
opticalbenchwasdesignedtofitintheexistingWF/PC1enclosureandsupporttheWFC3
optics,mechanismsanddetectors.InordertoencloseamuchlargerWFC3optical
envelope,theWFC3benchisalmost1.5timesbiggerthanitspredecessors.However,it
stillhastomounttoexistinglatchesontheHST.
Swalesattackedthedistortionissuebyperformingadetailedanalysisofthebench,
startingwithafiniteelementmodel(FEM)ofthestructure.Temperatureinputswere
appliedtothenodesoftheFEMmesh,fromwhichopticalcomponentdisplacementswere
calculated.Thesedisplacementswerethenputintoaproprietaryopticalmodeling
programthatcalculatesresultantmotionatthedetectorandcomparesitwithprogram
requirements.Thestructuralandthermalmodelsthenwereiterateduntildisplacements
werewithintheallowablerange.IncalculatingtheCTEofthestructure,themodeladds
thethermalcharacteristicsofeachconnectedparttocomeupwithanoverallCTE.
TomounttheoversizeWFC3benchtothefourexistinglatchesontheHubble,Swales
developedasystemof"isothermalized"struts,onepairforeachlatch.Theexisting
HubblelatchesareprimarilymadeoftitaniumwitharelativelyhighCTE,andeachofthe
latchesisunique.ThethermalmodelsdevelopedatSwalesshowedastrongthermal
couplingbetweenthelatchesandthestruts.Therefore,itwasimportanttomatchtheCTE
ofeachstrutpairtoitscorrespondinglatchforanetzeroCTEassembly.Thestrutsare
compositeoutertubeswithInvarfittingsmountedintointernalaluminum,steelortitanium
collars.Thelengthandmaterialforeachinternalpartofastrutpairisthencalculatedso
thattheoverallCTEofthestrutisnegativeandoffsetsthepositiveCTEofthelatchforan
overallzeroCTE.
TheWFC3opticalbenchisaboxstructuremadeupofedgejoinedhoneycombpanels
withverticalbulkheadswhichsupporttheopticalcomponents.Thepanelsandbulkheads
arejoinedattheiredgesusingA286boltsandpinsmountedinSuperInvarinserts.(Super
Invarisa32percentnickelvarietyofInvar,whichpossessesalowerandflatterCTEvs.
temperaturecurvethanInvar36.)Thefacesheetsofthepanelsaremadefrom1.5
mm/0.060inchquasiisotropiclaminatesofXN50/996unidirectionalprepreg.XN50,a
NipponGraphitepetroleumpitchfiber,isnolongeravailableandhasbeenreplacedwith
Nippon'sYSH50A,a76Msi/520GPacoalpitchfiberwhichhasmorecompressive
strengthandbetterhandleability.Hexcel(Stamford,Conn.)prepreggedthefiberwith996
resin,asiloxanemodifiedcyanateesterwithextremelylowoutgassingandmoisture
uptakeproperties.Thepanelcoresareanaluminum5056honeycombalsomadeby
Hexcel.Facesheetsandcoresareroutedtofinalshapeseparately,andthenarebonded
togetherwithCytecFM73Utoughenedepoxyfilmadhesive.Thepanelsaredesignedso
thatthenegativeCTEofthefacesheetsisoffsetbythepositiveCTEofthecoreand
resultsinanoverallCTEof0.2ppm/C(0.11ppm/F).Tojointhepanelsand
bulkheadstogether,solidSuperInvarblocksarebondedtotheassembledfacesheets
withHenkelEA9394adhesive.Afterthepanelswereassembled,theInvarblockswere
machinedtofinaldimensions.Assemblyandalignmentwerethenperformedonan
alignmenttool.Inordertoreplicatethefitofthepreviouscamera,WF/PC2,theoriginal
toolingfixtureswereusedwithmodificationsfortheWFC3'suniquefeatures.
Theprecedingrepresentjustafewofthemanynovelwayscompositematerialsand
moldingprocessesarebeingusedtodimensionallystabilizespacebasedscientific
instrumentsandcommunicationsequipment.Thesuccessoftheseandsimilarprojects
ensurethatcompositeswillplayasignificantroleinfuturespacemissions,notonlyto
reducepayloadweight,butmoreimportantly,toimprovetheequipment'sfunctionalquality
andextenditsservicelifeinsevereorbitalenvironments.
Youmightalsolike:

CAMX2015
preview:CGTech

CAMX2015
preview:Altair

NIAR,Dassault
Systmespartneron
manufacturing
research

Designingwith
composites:
Optimizingfor
performanceand
manufacturing

http://www.compositesworld.com/articles/designingfordimensionalstabilityinspace

7/8

8/20/2015

Designingfordimensionalstabilityinspace:CompositesWorld

40

Zones

Calendar

FeaturedZones:

Processes

Design&Tooling

Materials

ATL/AFP

CAD/CAM/FEA/Simulation

Aramids

CompressionMolding

ToolingTechnology
Testing

Articles

Conferences

SOURCEBOOK

IndustryLinks

CarbonFiber

CuringTechnology

News

Suppliers

Core

FilamentWinding

Products

Subscribe

Epoxy

Infusion

Markets

GlassFiber

InjectionMolding

Aerospace

WhitePapers

ContactUs

HighTemperatureResins

Kitting/Cutting

Automotive

Nanomaterials

Machining/Drilling

Construction/Infrastructure

NaturalFibers

Pultrusion

Defense

Polyesters

RTM

Marine

Prepreg

Sprayup

MassTransit

Webinars

Thermoplastics
VinylEsters

SportsandRecreation
SpecialZone

Wind/Energy

IMTS

CopyrightGardnerBusinessMedia,Inc.2015Allrightsreserved.|ContactUs|AboutUs|Advertise

http://www.compositesworld.com/articles/designingfordimensionalstabilityinspace

8/8