In space, temperatures, pressures and forces are different from those in the environments we have been familiar with. This means that measurement technology ? Kills there? is subjected to specific stresses. WIKA has now developed, tested and supplied special force transducers for space travel. They are customer-specific load pins which have now proven themselves on a flight into space.
Space travel is definitely commercialised, and concepts for space tourism are taking shape. In the development departments of the area industry, plans are maturing for new generations of launch vehicles along with other transporters for multiple, and therefore resource-saving, missions. To create Enthusiastic , crew and vehicles safely back again to earth, sophisticated technology, reliable atlanta divorce attorneys situation, is indispensable.
A central role is played by the flight control system, which ensures the right orientation of the spacecraft for safe missions into space and back. Load pins are critical components for this. They must measure exactly the forces functioning on the flight control surfaces of the spacecraft. Conventional load pins are not up to this ? the criteria for spacecraft force transducers are too demanding for them.
Requirements for force transducers in space travel
In the search for load pins ideal for space, an aerospace company had initially enquired with another manufacturer. But this supplier had not been able to meet the extraordinary requirements. The load pins would have to:
function reliably at extremely cold temperatures (right down to -65 �C)
withstand very high loads and be fatigue-proof
have very compact dimensions (the diameter of the measuring bore was just 8 mm)
A long time of experience with load pins and miniaturisation
WIKA is rolling out and built this version of a load pin for an area mission.
In the end, the drawings, technical data and test requirements ended up at WIKA. Because of their many years of experience, both with load pins and also in instrument miniaturisation, WIKA?s force measurement experts succeeded in developing and manufacturing the products that the customer had wanted.
But that was only the initial challenge. The next was to subject the strain pins to a variety of tests to assure, with absolute certainty, they would function correctly in space. However, the testing facilities needed for this weren’t available, neither internally nor externally. Just how could the extreme operating conditions of the sensors be simulated?
Special test equipment for the space-travel force transducers
There was only 1 answer: WIKA had to design and build its own special test facility with a heating chamber and an adjustment and calibration machine. It had in order to:
apply an alternating load of 23,860 kg every seven seconds
maintain an internal temperature of -65 �C
This new equipment ultimately provided proof that the strain pins maintained the required measuring quality, even with 100,000 test cycles at the mandatory low temperature. This is then also demonstrated in the application form: The control surfaces of the spacecraft functioned perfectly and enabled a safe flight into space and back.
Measuring solutions for aviation too
Along with space flight, WIKA also serves the aviation industry with specific measurement solutions. One of these of this is the development of a force transducer as part of the European ?Clean Sky? programme, which aims to reduce emissions from aircraft. WIKA also supplies DirectDrive pressure gauges for oxygen systems and pressure transducers for ice detection in jet engines.
Note
Further information on load pins along with other force measurement technology for extreme conditions, for instance ring force transducers and strain transducers, can be found on the WIKA website. You can also download a brochure with a concise summary of WIKA?s force measurement technology. In case you have any questions, your contact will gladly help you.
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