Recommended Practice for Thrust Measurement in Electric Propulsion Testing.

Area of Science:

• Aerospace Engineering
• Applied Physics
• Metrology

Background:

• Accurate thrust and impulse measurements are vital for electric thruster characterization.
• Measuring micro-Newton (μN) to milli-Newton (mN) thrust and micro-second (μNs) impulse bits is challenging.
• Pendulum thrust stands are the established method for these precise measurements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive review of recommended practices for pendulum thrust stands.
• To guide researchers in the design, calibration, and operation of thrust measurement systems.
• To improve the quality and consistency of electric thruster performance data.

Main Methods:

• Review of fundamental pendulum thrust stand operation principles.
• Analysis of hanging pendulum, inverted pendulum, and torsional balance configurations.
• Discussion of calibration methodologies, error sources, data processing, and uncertainty analysis.

Main Results:

• Identification of critical factors in designing and operating pendulum thrust stands.
• Presentation of recommended calibration procedures and error mitigation strategies.
• Outline of data processing techniques for accurate thrust and impulse determination.

Conclusions:

• Pendulum thrust stands are essential for accurate low-level thrust measurement.
• Adherence to recommended practices enhances measurement reliability and comparability.
• This work serves as a foundation for a standardized best practices document.