Fluid-Actuated Spacecraft Separation Lock for Low-Shock Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional separation devices in spacecraft generate high shock levels due to internal locking device impacts, which is problematic for thin and lightweight constructions, especially in smaller spacecraft where safety margins are restricted.
Innovation Solution
A separation device with a locking arrangement that uses a piston and wedge-shaped locking elements, where high-pressure fluid is provided to an expansion chamber to move the locking arrangement from a locked to a released state, reducing the separation force and shock levels by redirecting radial pretensioning forces into axial components, allowing for a smoother release mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional separation devices are used with internal locking devices, then reliable locking is achieved, but high shock levels are generated during separation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the locking function from a traditional internal locking device and implements it through wedge-shaped locking elements that are radially movable. This extraction allows the locking mechanism to be decoupled from the high-shock separation force application, enabling reliable locking while reducing shock during separation.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using an internal locking device that impacts during release, the invention inverts the approach by using radially movable locking elements that are pushed outward by a piston. This inversion eliminates the impact-based release mechanism and replaces it with a controlled radial movement that significantly reduces shock levels during separation.
2Weight of moving object
If lightweight materials and thin constructions are used to reduce mass, then mass is reduced, but construction safety margins are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the traditional mechanical impact-based separation system with a fluid-pressure-based piston system. This substitution allows for more controlled and gradual separation forces, reducing peak shock loads on the lightweight thin-walled structures while still achieving effective payload separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the separation force application parameters from high-impact impulsive forces to controlled fluid-pressure-driven forces. By using high-pressure fluid to move the piston and locking elements, the separation process occurs over a longer time period with lower peak forces, protecting the lightweight construction from excessive shock while maintaining mass efficiency.
3Force
If high pressure fluid is used to move the locking arrangement, then separation force is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The high-pressure fluid system serves multiple functions: it moves the piston, which in turn moves the wedge-shaped locking elements radially outward, and also provides the force needed to overcome the locking mechanism. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate mechanical components, offsetting the added complexity of the fluid system with functional consolidation.
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 effectively lowers shock levels experienced by components attached to spacecraft or launchers, ensuring safer and more precise payload release by reducing the separation force required, thus enhancing the reliability of separation operations.
Implementation Method 1
an initiator which comprises means for providing high pressure fluid to an expansion chamber when the separation device is switched from a locked state to a released state. The high pressure fluid in the expansion chamber moves the locking arrangement from the locking configuration to the releasing configuration
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b~1c
Figure 2a
AI summary
The present invention relates to a separation device for a spacecraft or launcher, the separation device being movable from a locked state, in which the separation device is arranged to lock onto a component of a spacecraft or launcher, to a released state, in which said component is released, said separation device comprising: an inner housing divided into at least two portions for locking onto said component of said spacecraft or launcher, and a locking arrangement arranged to move between a locking configuration and a releasing configuration, wherein the locking configuration is such that said at least two portions of said inner housing are prevented from separating, wherein said locking arrangement comprises: a first part arranged to at least partially enclose said at least two portions of said inner housing when said locking arrangement is in the locking configuration, a piston arranged at least partially inside said expansion chamber, and at least one locking element which is held between said first part and said piston when said locking arrangement is in the locking configuration, thereby preventing said first part from releasing said at least two portions of said inner housing.