IN RESPONSE TO THE NEED FOR ACTUATORS THAT CAN OPERATE IN THE HARSH VENUSIAN ENVIRONMENT FOR EXTENDED PERIO…

Public award description

IN RESPONSE TO THE NEED FOR ACTUATORS THAT CAN OPERATE IN THE HARSH VENUSIAN ENVIRONMENT FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME, WE CONDUCTED EXTENSIVE RESEARCH AND TESTING TO RESOLVE THE TALL POLES IN DEVELOPING AN EXTREME TEMPERATURE GEAR. DURING THE PHASE I EFFORT, MULTIPLE GEAR MATERIAL AND LUBRICATION CANDIDATES WERE TESTED UNDER LOAD IN VENUS-LIKE CONDITIONS (486OC TEMPERATURE AND MOSTLY CO2 GAS ENVIRONMENT). TEST RESULTS VERIFIED THE FEASIBILITY OF A DESIGN AND CONFIRMED THAT, WITH PROPER MATERIAL AND LUBRICATION SELECTION, THE GEAR HEAD COULD OPERATE AT 486OC FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. IN A POTENTIAL PHASE II EFFORT, MATERIAL AND LUBRICATION STUDY WILL CONTINUE AS WELL AS A HIGH TEMPERATURE BEARING STUDY. AT THE END OF THE PHASE II, AN EXTREME ENVIRONMENT ACTUATOR, INCLUDING A HT MOTOR, HT SENSOR FOR COMMUTATION AND MULTI-STAGE HT GEAR HEAD, WILL BE DEVELOPED AND TESTED TO TRL 6.