Stefano Lucarelli

ZERODUR ® Glass Ceramics for High Stress Applications

Recently SCHOTT has shown in a series of investigations the suitability of the zero expansion glass ceramic material ZERODUR® for applications like mirrors and support structures of complicated design used at high mechanical loads. Examples are vibrations during rocket launches, bonded elements to support single mirrors or mirrors of a large array, or controlled deformations for optical image correction, i.e. adaptive mirrors. Additional measurements have been performed on the behavior of ZERODUR® with respect to the etching process, which is capable of increasing strength significantly. It has been determined, which minimum layer thickness has to be removed in order to achieve the strength increase reliably. New data for the strength of the material variant ZERODUR K20® prepared with a diamond grain tool D151 are available and compared with the data of ZERODUR® specimens prepared in the same way. Data for the stress corrosion coefficient n of ZERODUR® for dry and normal humid environment have been measured already in the 1980s. It has been remeasured with the alternative double cleavage drilled compression (DCDC) method.

LISA telescope assembly optical stability characterization for ESA

The LISA Optical Stability Characterization project is part of the LISA CTP activities to achieve the required Technonlogy Readiness Level (TRL) for all of the LISA technologies used. This activity aims demonstration of the Telescope Assembly (TA), with a structure based on CFRP technology, that a CTE of 10-7 1/K can be achieved with measures to tune the CTE to this level. In addition the demonstration is required to prove that the structure exhibits highly predictable mechanical distortion characteristics when cooling down to -90°C, during outgassing in space and when going from 1g environment to 0g. This paper describes the test facilities as well as the first test results. A dedicated test setup is designed and realized to allow monitoring dimensional variations of the TA using three interferometers, while varying the temperature in a thermal vacuum chamber. Critical parameters of the verification setup are the length metrology accuracy in thermal vacuum and the thermal vacuum flexibility and stability. The test programme includes Telescope Assembly CTE measurements and thermal gradient characterization.

ZERODUR® Glass Ceramics-Strength Data for the Design of Structures with High Mechanical Stresses

With an increasing number of applications mirrors and support structures made of the zero expansion glass ceramic material ZERODUR® has to endure high mechanical loads, e.g. rocket launches or controlled deformations for optical image correction. Like for other glassy materials, the strength of glass ceramics is dominated by its surface condition. Test specimens have been ground with fine grain tools (e.g. D64 diamond grains) and / or subsequently etched. The strength data basis for the design of highly stressed structures has been extended and new information has been derived for the extrapolation to low failure probabilities.

Picometer resolution interferometric characterization of the dimensional stability of zero CTE CFRP

Highly stable but lightweight structural materials are essential for the realization of spaceborne optical instruments, for example telescopes. In terms of optical performance, usually tight tolerances on the absolute spacing between telescope mirrors have to be maintained from integration on ground to operation in final orbit. Furthermore, a certain stability of the telescope structure must typically be ensured in the measurement band. Particular challenging requirements have to be met for the LISA Mission (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna), where the spacing between primary and secondary mirror must be stable to a few picometers. Only few materials offer sufficient thermal stability to provide such performance. Candidates are for example Zerodur and Carbon-Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP), where the latter is preferred in terms of mechanical stiffness and robustness. We are currently investigating the suitability of CFRP with respect to the LISA requirements by characterization of its dimensional stability with heterodyne laser interferometry. The special, highly symmetric interferometer setup offers a noise level of 2 pm/√Hz at 0.1Hz and above, and therefore represents a unique tool for this purpose. Various procedures for the determination of the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) have been investigated, both on a test sample with negative CTE, as well as on a CFRP tube specifically tuned to provide a theoretical zero expansion in the axial dimension.

LISA pathfinder optical interferometry

The LISA Technology Package (LTP) aboard of LISA pathfinder mission is dedicated to demonstrate and verify key technologies for LISA, in particular drag free control, ultra-precise laser interferometry and gravitational sensor. Two inertial sensor, the optical interferometry in between combined with the dimensional stable Glass ceramic Zerodur structure are setting up the LTP. The validation of drag free operation of the spacecraft is planned by measuring laser interferometrically the relative displacement and tilt between two test masses (and the optical bench) with a noise levels of 10pm/√Hz and 10 nrad/√Hz between 3mHz and 30mHz. This performance and additionally overall environmental tests was currently verified on EM level. The OB structure is able to support two inertial sensors (≈17kg each) and to withstand 25 g design loads as well as 0...40°C temperature range. Optical functionality was verified successfully after environmental tests. The engineering model development and manufacturing of the optical bench and interferometry hardware and their verification tests will be presented.

Strength Aspects for the Design of ZERODUR® Glass Ceramics Structures

In some applications mirrors and support structures from the zero expansion glass ceramic material ZERODUR(R) have to endure mechanical loads, e.g. rocket launches or controlled deformations for optical image correction. Like for other glassy materials the strength of glass ceramics is dominated by its surface condition. Similar to other glass ceramics ZERODUR(R) has higher strengths than glasses for comparable surface conditions. For the design of ZERODUR(R) parts well known rules of thumb for its strength are not sufficient in any case. So new information and data with enlarged sample sets and hence better statistics have been collected to improve the understanding of its behavior under mechanical loads. Finally an outlook is given on the application of ZERODUR(R) in ambitious current and future space projects.

ZERODUR® Glass Ceramics Design of Structures with High Mechanical Stresses

Designing highly mechanically loaded structures made of the zero expansion glass ceramic material ZERODUR® means to analyze the stress for the whole loaded surface, considering changes of the stress state occurring over the total lifetime. Strength data are obtained from specimens with small size and relatively short loading duration, making them not directly applicable to the much larger areas that occur in practical cases. This publication gives guidelines for calculating a fracture probability for mirrors and structures on the basis of existing strength data.

An experiment to test in-field pointing for Elisa

The evolved Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (eLISA) Mission is being developed to detect and characterise gravitational waves by measuring pathlength changes between free flying inertial test masses over a baseline of order 1 Gm. Here the observed astrophysical events and objects lie in a frequency range between 30 μHz and 1 Hz (the LISA measurement band, LMB).

Lisa telescope assembly optical stability characterization for ESA

The LISA Optical Stability Characterization project is part of the LISA CTP activities to achieve the required TRL level for all of the LISA technologies used.

ESA initiatives to improve mechanical design and verification methods for ceramic structures

Current and future space missions demanding ever more stringent stability and precision requirements are driving the need for (ultra) stable and lightweight structures. Materials best suited to meeting these needs in a passive structural design, centre around ceramic materials or specifically tailored CFRP composite. Ceramic materials have essential properties (very low CTE, high stiffness), but also unfavorable properties (low fracture toughness). Ceramic structures feature in a number of current and planned ESA missions. These missions benefit from the superior stiffness and thermo-elastic stability properties of ceramics, but suffer the penalties inherent to the brittle nature of these materials. Current practice in designing and sizing ceramic structures is to treat ceramic materials in a deterministic manner similar to conventional materials but with larger safety factors and conservatively derived material strength properties. This approach is convenient, but can be penalising in mass and in practice does not arrive at an equivalent structural reliability compared to metallic components. There is also no standardised approach for the design and verification of ceramic structures in Europe. To improve this situation, ESA placed two parallel study contracts with Astrium and Thales Alenia Space with the objective to define design and verification methodology for ceramic structures, with the further goal to establish a common ‘handbook’ for design and verification approach. This paper presents an overview of ceramic structures used in current and future ESA missions and summarises the activities to date in the frame of improving and standardising design and verification methods for ceramic structures.