Long Life Gimbal/Bearing System

New and future space gimbal applications are targeting operational lifetimes of 10 - 15 years. Current contact bearing technology is limited by adhesive wear, lubricant depletion and Lewis acid effects from reaching these lifetimes for high duty cycle applications such as space gimbal systems. SSG Precision Optronics proposes the development of long life bearing technologies to extend operational lifetimes to several hundreds of million cycles. These technologies include: TiC coated pseudo-hybrid and ceramic hybrid bearings; bearing manufacturing practices; and a novel flex-bearing concept. The proposed technologies mitigate debris generation from adhesive wear and Lewis acid effects. Previous work performed by SSGPO addressed lubricant depletion through the use of a passive lubricant release system. When brought together, these technologies are expected to bring contact bearings to the desired 15 year goals. The Phase 1 effort will prototype and evaluate these contact bearing technologies under simulated conditions. A successful evaluation will provide a basis for the design and development of a prototype space gimbal system in Phase 2 that is well supported by life-time test data. The proposed area of study has important implications for government and commercial applications for space mechanisms as well as for similar ground based gimbal systems.