ASR has had the pleasure of working with Busek Corp in the development of Hall-effect-thrusters. developer and manufacturer. Busek Corp is the leading developer and manufacture of electronic Space Thrusters.
Our engineers had responsibility for the thermal and structural durability of numerous Thrusters. The existing US-FalconSat 5 is one example of many Busek thrusters that ASR contributed to. ASR developed the highly detailed finite element models that were used to optimize the thermal and structural performance of the thrusters. ASR’s experience in modeling non-linear joints was necessary to insure accurate representation of the thrusters response to dynamic and thermal load. The results have been validated and if necessary calibrated to test data to ensure accuracy.
Hall-thrusters are electromagnetic devices that are widely used in space applications. They generate thrust by accelerating ionized fuel due to the interaction of the magnetic field and electric current. These devices operate in extreme structural conditions specially during launch and separation, and extreme thermal condition due to the high temperature generated for their thrust while operating in extreme cold space temperature. Due to these conditions structural and thermal durability are challenged.
Services Provided
- Thermal Analysis
- Structural Analysis
- Thermal Structural Analysis
- Dynamic and Vibration Analysis
- Fatigue and Fracture Toughness Analysis
- Model Validation and Optimization
Results
- Thruster weight reduced
- Finite Element analyses matched acceptance and qualification test
- US-FalconSat 5 successfully launched and operating in space.