Optical Mount with Flanged Protrusion for Stress Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mounts for optical structures, such as hollow retroreflectors, face challenges in maintaining the perpendicularity and optical flatness of reflective surfaces due to external stresses like thermal expansion and adhesive curing, leading to beam deviation and dimensional instability.
Innovation Solution
A mount design featuring a protruding member with a two-part diameter and a base element with a cavity, secured with adhesive, minimizes external stresses by precise alignment and small diameter differences, ensuring minimal movement and distortion, using Invar materials for stability, and allowing for secure and distortion-free mounting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If adhesive is used to join the reflective panel to the mount, then secure mounting is achieved, but external stresses cause distortion to the optical flatness of the reflective surface
Solution Approach 1:
The mount is divided into a rigid portion (providing structural support) and a compliant portion (absorbing stresses). This segmentation allows the mounting system to securely hold the reflective panel while isolating it from stress-induced distortion.
Solution Approach 2:
The compliant portion acts as an intermediary element between the rigid mount and the reflective panel. It mediates the transmission of stresses, allowing secure mounting while protecting the optical surface from distortion through its stress-absorbing properties.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If flexible materials are used in the mount, then stress absorption is improved, but dimensional stability is lost causing movement of the optical structure
Solution Approach 1:
The mount is segmented into distinct rigid and compliant portions with defined functional boundaries. The rigid portion maintains dimensional stability and structural support, while the compliant portion specifically handles stress absorption, preventing movement of the optical structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the mount have different mechanical properties tailored to their specific functions. The rigid portion provides structural stability, while the compliant portion provides localized stress absorption. This local differentiation allows the system to achieve both stability and stress resistance 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 mount achieves high stability with micron-level precision, maintaining optical path difference and reducing wavefront distortion across environmental changes, ensuring secure and accurate mounting without adding stress to the optical structure.
Implementation Method 1
a second portion of the protruding member extending into a first cavity of the base element and secured to the base element with adhesive
Implementation Method 2
using Invar materials for stability
Data Source
AI summary
An improved mount for, and method of mounting an, optical structure is provided. The mount has an optical structure comprising at least one mirror panel, the mirror panel comprising a reflective surface and a back surface substantially opposite the reflective surface, a protruding member extending from the back surface of the optical structure, the protruding member having a shape and the shape having an outside surface there-around, a base comprising a mounting element and an upper element extending from the mounting element, the upper element having a cavity for secured receipt therein of at least a portion of the protruding member, wherein the receiving cavity of the upper element has a shape identical to that of the shape of the protruding member, but where the shape of the protruding member is ten thousandths ( 1/10,000) of an inch smaller than the shape of the receiving cavity so that the outside surface of the protruding member is ten thousandths ( 1/10,000) of an inch away from the corresponding parts of the receiving cavity when the protruding member is secured within the cavity.