Rotation flexure with temperature controlled modal frequency
| DWPI Title: Flexural bearing for being installed in roller bearing element for large motions of telescopes, has heating or cooling mechanism coupled to inner circular race or outer circular race for tuning frequency of flexure bearing body |
| Abstract: A flexure bearing includes an inner race, an outer race, and a plurality of substantially planar radially extending blades coupled between the inner and outer race. The blades have a thickness that is thinner than a thickness of the inner and outer races. The inner race, outer race, and blades have substantially the same height. At least one heating element is coupled to the inner race and/or the outer race. The heating element is configured to apply heat to the race that it is coupled to in order to tune the flexure bearing. |
| Use: Flexural bearing for being installed in a roller bearing element for large motions of telescopes. Can also be used for use in precision pointing systems mounted to moving platforms, synthetic aperture radar systems, isolation tables used in optical systems to decrease amount of vibration and tuned vibration absorbers of structural systems such as automobiles or aircraft. |
| Advantage: The bearing has linear characteristic that are useful in context of changing rotational direction in order to avoid or minimize effects of stiction in telescope movement. The bearing can modify modal frequency using simple low power heating in system design of tunable isolated systems. |
| Novelty: The bearing (10) has a flexure bearing body comprising an inner circular race (14) with first diameter and an outer circular race (16) with second diameter that is larger than the first diameter. Flexure blades (18) are coupled between the inner circular race and the outer circular race. A heating or cooling mechanism is coupled to the inner circular race or the outer circular race for tuning frequency of the flexure bearing body, where the flexure blades change in shape or size due to an application of heating or cooling by the heating or cooling mechanism. |
| Filed: 11/13/2014 |
| Application Number: US14540364A |
| Tech ID: SD 13025.0 |
| 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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