The accurate, direct measurement of thrust or impulse is one of the most critical elements of electric thruster characterization, and it is one of the most difficult measurements to make. This paper summarizes recommended practices for the design, calibration, and operation of pendulum thrust stands, which are widely recognized as the best approach for measuring micronewton- to millinewton-level thrust and micronewton-per-second-level impulse bits. The fundamentals of pendulum thrust stand operation are reviewed, along with the implementation of hanging pendulum, inverted pendulum, and torsional balance configurations. The methods of calibration and recommendations for calibration processes are presented. Sources of error are identified, and methods for data processing and uncertainty analysis are discussed. This review is intended to be the first step toward a recommended practices document to help the community produce high-quality thrust measurements.


    Access

    Check access

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Recommended Practice for Thrust Measurement in Electric Propulsion Testing


    Contributors:

    Published in:

    Publication date :

    2017-05-01




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English






    Recommended Practice for Flow Control and Measurement in Electric Propulsion Testing

    Snyder, John Steven / Baldwin, Jeff / Frieman, Jason D. et al. | AIAA | 2017


    Recommended Practice for Use of Faraday Probes in Electric Propulsion Testing

    Brown, Daniel L. / Walker, Mitchell L. R. / Szabo, James et al. | AIAA | 2017


    Recommended Practice for Use of Emissive Probes in Electric Propulsion Testing

    Sheehan, J. P. / Raitses, Yevgeny / Hershkowitz, Noah et al. | AIAA | 2017