Fibre-Reinforced Breadboard Spacer Design for Optical Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional breadboards for optical components face challenges with high weight, inaccurate positioning, and poor vibrational damping due to their steel construction, which can lead to experimental failures from thermal strain and vibrations.
Innovation Solution
A breadboard using fibre-reinforced materials like CFRP for spacers sandwiched between panels, with hollow tube spacers and viscoelastic damping layers to improve accuracy, reduce weight, and enhance thermal stability, featuring adjustable vibration characteristics and double-adhesive fixing elements for improved rigidity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If steel honeycomb structure is used for spacer, then mechanical stiffness is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the steel honeycomb structure with a fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) honeycomb structure. This composite material maintains the high mechanical stiffness required for breadboard stability while significantly reducing the overall weight of the assembly, directly resolving the contradiction between strength and weight.
2Strength
If steel panels and steel honeycomb structure are used, then structural strength is improved, but thermal expansion causes positioning inaccuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameters by replacing steel with fibre-reinforced plastic for both panels and honeycomb structure. FRP materials have significantly lower thermal expansion coefficients compared to steel, which minimizes thermal strain and maintains positioning accuracy under varying temperature conditions, thus resolving the contradiction between structural strength and positioning precision.
3Stability of the object's composition
If conventional steel breadboard is used, then structural stability is improved, but vibrational damping is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the honeycomb structure of the FRP material, which provides inherent vibrational damping characteristics. The cellular structure of the honeycomb acts as a vibration absorber, reducing harmful vibrations while maintaining structural stability, thereby resolving the contradiction between structural stability and vibration damping.
4Weight of stationary object
If aluminium honeycomb structure is used, then weight is reduced compared to steel, but weight remains high and thermal stability is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the aluminium honeycomb structure with a fibre-reinforced plastic honeycomb structure. This substitution further reduces weight compared to aluminium while providing superior thermal stability due to the low thermal expansion properties of FRP materials, thus resolving both the weight and positioning accuracy issues simultaneously.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides improved accuracy, reduced weight, enhanced thermal stability, and better vibrational damping, ensuring precise component positioning with lateral and vertical misalignment minimized to less than 100 µm, allowing for larger and more flexible breadboard designs.
Implementation Method 1
an intermediate layer is damping mechanical vibrations stronger than the upper layer and the lower layer
Implementation Method 2
the fixing elements are adhered to the spacers at two locations
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
The invention relates to a breadboard (1) for mounting components, particularly optical components, comprising an upper panel (2) for mounting the components on top of the upper panel (2), a lower panel (3) being arranged substantially parallel to the upper panel (2) at a specified distance below the upper panel (2) and at least one spacer (4) being arranged between the upper panel (2) and the lower panel (3), wherein the spacer (4) essentially consists of a fibre- reinforced material. Further, the invention relates to a method for manufacturing such a breadboard (1). Vibration damping means and fixing elements (5) for fixing components to the panels are disclosed.