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Space compliant mobile voice coil actuator
19 June 2023
A moving coil actuator for high precision positioning and compatible with space technology specifications has been designed and successfully tested. General space technology requirements are the use of no degassing material, no lubrication, low mechanic time constant, low electrical power consumption, and thermal energy evacuation through radiating and conducting exchanges (no convection because of operation in vacuum environment). These specifications have been accounted in the design, the realisation and the test of a successful prototype: Thanks to a good design of thermal drains, the actuator presents a high force versus weight ratio.
Piezoelectric Actuator for precise and fast Oval Pistons manufacturing
19 June 2023
Piezoelectric Actuator and related driving & control electronic for precise and fast «Oval Pistons» manufacturing Oval pistons are used in all automotive industry. Every vehicle, motorbike, car and truck uses oval pistons. The reason is that pistons in these vehicles are working in very hot environment and as a consequence, the external shape deformation induced thermal growth of the piston is compensated by these «ovalities» (oval shapes).
Pulsed air high performances valves improve aerodynamic flow over airplane wings
19 June 2023
The objective of the European Cleansky project is to develop new technologies for future aircraft enabling a 20-30% fuel burn reduction and related CO2 emissions and a similar reduction in noise levels compared to current aircraft. One of the ways to reach this goal is to improve the aerodynamic performances of current high lift devices. Active flow control is unanimously seen as the best mean to reach this objective. By suppressing flow separation and/or delaying stall, active flow control will increase wing aerodynamic performances. The partnership between CTEC and ONERA in the framework of the VIPER project has led to the design, manufacturing and test of an innovative pulsed jet actuator based on a CTEC amplified piezo-actuator (APA). Its aim is to provide a pulsed sonic jet up to 500Hz with a mass flow around 34 g/s through a slot 1mm wide and 80mm long. Coupled with CTEC SA75D switching power amplifier this actuator produces the expected sonic jet with an electrical consumption around 40W thanks to energy recovery. The results of the actuator characterisation (mechanical, fluidic) are presented in this paper.
Rosetta Midas successful launching
19 June 2023
Successful commissioning of the first flight application for C. T. in ESA / ROSETTA mission. The ROSETTA satellite has been successfully launched the 2nd of March 2004 from Kourou, French Guyana, using an Ariane-5 G+ launcher. The rendezvous with the new targeted comet “Churyumov – Gerasimenko” is expected in November 2014.
Nanometric linear piezo-actuator with integrated Strain Gages for high stability positioning
19 June 2023
Many applications require a mechanism capable of nanometric resolution position tuning, and with the ability to maintain perfectly this position for a long time (more than several days). For those applications, piezo-actuators are a perfect fit since they easily provide nanometric resolution. However, they require the use of a position sensor to be able to maintain stable position over time. Until now, the long-term stability of strain gages (SG) for position measurement was questionable. Using its extensive know-how of strain gages integration and new instrumentation equipment, Cedrat Technologies has managed to demonstrate the ability of a piezo-mechanism with integrated strain gages sensors to achieve nanometric position stability. This technology opens new possibilities for industrial, aeronautical, and space applications.
NASA ARC Novel sample handling for XRD analysis
19 June 2023
Sample preparation and sample handling are among the most critical operations associated with X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. These operations require attention in a laboratory environment, but they become a major constraint in the deployment of XRD instruments for robotic planetary exploration. We are developing a novel sample handling system that dramatically relaxes the constraints on sample preparation by allowing characterization of coarsegrained material that would normally be impossible to analyze with conventional powder-XRD techniques.
