Thrust stand for vertically oriented electric propulsion performance evaluation.

Area of Science:

• Aerospace Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Physics

Background:

• Accurate measurement of electric thruster performance is crucial for spacecraft propulsion development.
• Existing thrust stands may have limitations in handling vertical thruster orientations and achieving wide dynamic ranges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a modified hanging pendulum thrust stand designed for vertical electric thruster testing.
• To detail the design features that enable neutral stability, friction reduction, and drift mitigation.

Main Methods:

• A counterweight system was implemented for neutral stability with a horizontally offset thruster.
• Motion transfer to a secondary arm utilized a noncontact light-based transducer for displacement measurement.
• Passive eddy-current damping, thermal management, and self-leveling systems were incorporated.

Main Results:

• The thrust stand demonstrates a measurement range spanning approximately four decades.
• Capability to measure up to 12 N for a 200 kg thruster and 800 mN for a 10 kg thruster.
• Calibration tests showed a resolution of 1 mN at 100 mN thrust levels and 2.5 mN at 0.5 N levels.

Conclusions:

• The developed thrust stand effectively measures vertical electric thruster performance across a broad thrust range.
• The design incorporates features to ensure system stability, minimize friction, and mitigate environmental drifts.
• The system achieves high resolution, suitable for characterizing a wide variety of electric propulsion systems.