Scott N. Roberts

Castable Bulk Metallic Glass Strain Wave Gears: Towards Decreasing the Cost of High-Performance Robotics

The use of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) as the flexspline in strain wave gears (SWGs), also known as harmonic drives, is presented. SWGs are unique, ultra-precision gearboxes that function through the elastic flexing of a thin-walled cup, called a flexspline. The current research demonstrates that BMGs can be cast at extremely low cost relative to machining and can be implemented into SWGs as an alternative to steel. This approach may significantly reduce the cost of SWGs, enabling lower-cost robotics. The attractive properties of BMGs, such as hardness, elastic limit and yield strength, may also be suitable for extreme environment applications in spacecraft.

Microgravity metal processing: from undercooled liquids to bulk metallic glasses

Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) are a novel class of metal alloys that are poised for widespread commercialization. Over 30 years of NASA and ESA (as well as other space agency) funding for both ground-based and microgravity experiments has resulted in fundamental science data that have enabled commercial production. This review focuses on the history of microgravity BMG research, which includes experiments on the space shuttle, the ISS, ground-based experiments, commercial fabrication and currently funded efforts.

Energy-Efficient Active Reflectors with Improved Mechanical Stability and Improved Thermal Performance

Controlling surface wavefront of apertures using a distributed array of actuators to mechanically correct the surface has been widely studied. Traditional active reflector systems require a sustained voltage profile which holds each actuator at a specific strain state to control the surface of the reflector. Each actuator, typically piezoelectric, draws a small amount of power under nominal operation. This power draw is small, but can complicate mission designs that depend on a cryogenic primary reflector surface. In this study we have extended the results of our previous work to include nonlinear piezoelectric actuation for active reflector systems. By deliberately operating in the nonlinear regime, it is possible to deform the actuators in such a way that the reflector surface maintains its corrected shape without sustained power. Demonstration of unpowered primary mirror wavefront control has positioned the technology as suitable for cryogenic/infrared systems. This report describes a nonlinear piezoelectric characterization campaign, and the associated nonlinear energy-efficient active reflector demonstration.