Dynamic and Reconfigurable Aero-Mechanical Force Emulator

Orbital Research Inc. (Cleveland, Ohio) will execute a comprehensive analysis to develop a conceptual design for a Dynamic and Reconfigurable Aero-Mechanical Force (DaRAMF) Emulator capable of applying spatially and temporally realistic 6-DOF flight disturbances to laser beam directors ranging in size from 30cm to 1m in diameter without the use of air flow. The objective of the development effort will be to identify mechanical strategies capable of representing realistic aerodynamic forces in terms of magnitude, direction, frequency, and distribution. Further, Orbital’s proposed DaRAMF Emulator will be reconfigurable to accommodate multiple sized laser director systems and other flight hardware. In addition, the system can vary frequency, direction, magnitude, and distribution of the environmental disturbances in order to provide realistic loads. The DaRAMF Emulator will be designed to allow realistic motion responses of the test article with minimal interference to the emulator.