In a new line of research at the Institut fur Raumfahrtsysteme (IRS), short-pulsed coaxial plasma accelerators for both industrial applications and space propulsion are being developed and experimentally investigated. First efforts led to the design of a plasma gun capable of delivering power densities of up to 2 GW/cm2 onto the surface of a thin-walled engine part subjected to high dynamic loads and, hence, prone to fatigue-induced failure. A short-duration high-power flux explosively evaporates a sacrificial coating and, thus, creates residual compressive stresses in the part's surface layer, improving its resistance against fatigue. The plasma accelerator is presently being assembled and will be operational soon. In a continuation of this work, this device will be reversibly modified to also allow for the plasma impulse based removal of partially eroded coatings for thermal, corrosion and abrasion protection from aeronautical engine parts during their regular maintenance. In parallel and based on the same short-pulsed plasma gun technology IRS also investigates pulsed plasma thrusters for primary and secondary propulsion of small satellites and spacecrafts, hence, making maximum use of the synergies. The theoretical design of the different plasma accelerators and their technical realization will be presented.
Plasma impulse based peening and decoating of engine parts and pulsed plasma thrusters for small spacecraft propulsion
2004
7 Seiten, 6 Quellen
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Englisch
Pulsed Plasma Thrusters for Small Spacecraft Attitude Control
British Library Conference Proceedings | 1996
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