Monolithic flexure mount
| DWPI Title: Flexure mount for mounting mirror onto rigid support structure of telescope, has goniometric flexures positioned between radial flexures and main flexures in direction along center axis, where flexure mount is monolithic mount |
| Abstract: A flexure mount is described herein. The flexure mount includes three different flexures laterally offset from one another along a length of the flexure mount. The flexured design of the flexure mount allows for compliance in certain directions to reduce stress buildup normally associated with rigid mounting of dissimilar materials under dynamic thermal environments. |
| Use: Flexure mount for mounting a mirror onto a rigid support structure of a telescope (claimed). |
| Advantage: The mount utilizes the main flexures to allow flexion radially with respect to center of expansion (COE) of the mirror, thus allowing expansion and contraction of the mirror when causing the COE of the mirror to remain stationary. The mount reduces stress buildup normally associated with rigid mounting of dissimilar materials under dynamic thermal environments. |
| Novelty: The mount has radial flexures (206, 208, 210, 212) symmetrically arranged about a center axis (205) of a flexure mount. Goniometric flexures (216, 218) are laterally offset from the radial flexures in a direction along the center axis, where the goniometric flexures comprise pivot point for the flexure mount. Main flexures (220) are laterally offset from the goniometric flexures in the direction along the center axis, where the goniometric flexures are positioned between the radial flexures and the main flexures in the direction along the center axis and the flexure mount is monolithic. The radial flexures are provided with T-shaped pads that are configured to interface with a wall of a cylindrical recess on a backside of a mirror. |
| Filed: 2/21/2017 |
| Application Number: US15438200A |
| Tech ID: SD 13170.1 |
| This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention. |
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