Statically determined structures: Tension between classical and modern design

The two most important characteristics of opto-mechanical structures used in space or for astronomy are high accuracy and stability. Much time, money and energy is invested in achieving this. However, because resources are limited, it is important to realize that the cost of an instrument is mainly determined during the design process. Three...

IASI OGSE Spot Scan: Design and realization of an infrared test equipment for use in vacuum

This paper presents the development of the IASI Infrared Spot Scan test equipment, with a focus on the mechanical design. The IASI instrument, developed by Alcatel, is a spaceborne meteorological instrument, for observation of the Earth atmosphere in the infrared wavelength region. An infrared Optical Ground Support Equipment (OGSE), developed...

Dealing with friction in a reusable 6 degrees of freedom adjustment mechanism with sliding contacts

Although the possibility of a 6 degrees of freedom adjustment based on a single body pulled onto on six adjustable supports follows directly from the kinematic theory, such mechanisms are seldom used in actual products. Two major drawbacks for the use of this solution are: Due to the sliding contact between the body and the supports, friction...

An adjustment for five degrees of freedom as an alternative for a hexapod mechanism

Modem mirror optics often consists of a limited number of elements, in which many aberrations may be attacked by adjusting only one element in five degrees of freedom, i.e. all degrees of freedom except the rotation around the optical axis. When the adjustment has to be reusable and mass and stiffness are of importance, a hexapod mechanism is ...