A carbon fiber-reinforced ceramic composite material is on its way to Jupiter on the Juno spacecraft. The composite forms an optical bench on the outside of the spacecraft at the end of one of the solar array wings.
The materials manufacturer, SGL Group, exhibited an example of the optical bench at the recent Hannover Fair in Germany. The optical bench is mounted on a stable magnetometer boom, and holds the magnetometer that will measure Jupiter's magnetic field.
Juno, which was launched last August, is scheduled to arrive at Jupiter in 2016. It will orbit Jupiter's poles for about a year, taking the first pictures of the planet's polar regions, making maps of its gravitation and magnetic fields, and measuring the amount of water and ammonia in Jupiter's atmosphere.
A carbon fiber-reinforced ceramic composite material forms an optical bench on the Juno spacecraft, scheduled to arrive at Jupiter in 2016. (Source: NASA)
On Earth, optical tables are usually made of a sandwich structure consisting of outer sheets of steel or aluminum, or sometimes carbon fiber, enclosing a honeycomb structure. Optical benches, or rails, are a smaller version, and consist of a long, narrow piece of metal, usually steel or aluminum, shaped like a shallow rain gutter, which components can be bolted onto.
On a spacecraft, the material for this application had to be nonmagnetic, as well as light in weight and extremely strong. At the same time, it had to withstand the high thermal and mechanical stresses that occur during both the launch of the spacecraft and the flight to Jupiter.
SGL said its Sigrasic material, a carbon fiber-reinforced silicon carbide, was chosen as the material for the optical bench because of its balance of properties. Combing carbon fibers with a ceramic matrix gives the material lightweight and high resistance to wear and fracture, as well as enough stability to withstand temperature extremes.
The material is manufactured by infiltrating carbon fiber-reinforced carbon with silicon. Because of the way that the carbon fibers are reinforced, when the hard silicon carbide material is stressed it becomes pseudo-ductile, so it bends instead of breaking. The material is used in structural components for aerospace and industrial applications, as well as components for high-temperature applications, chemical process equipment, and oxidation-resistant and thermal shock-resistant components for glass processing.
A well-known application for the carbon-ceramic material is the brake disk, which debuted in 1999 and appeared as a standard component on the Porsche GT2. It has since been used in other luxury and sports cars.
The optical bench was by collaboration among SGL subsidiary: HITCO Carbon Composites, Electro-Tech Machining, and TQ Abrasives. SGL is exploring other applications for some of the properties of Sigrasic that were utilized in the optical bench, such as its ability to be shaped into complex geometric designs and minimal thermal expansion.
bobjengr, thanks for the feedback. I agree that composites will not be the only material used for structural applications, but they certainly have a lot to offer that metals don't. I'm still amazed that they've gotten tough enough to go to Jupiter.
Ann—very very interesting article.Composites, I feel, represent the future of material science.Of course, we will never "outgrow" conventional materials; i.e. steel, aluminum, etc but composites can provide strength to weight ratios remarkably beneficial to design engineers for exotic uses such as the JUNO unmanned program.I also thought about material science but decided on mechanical engineering due to the great number of directions you can go relative to professional life.
Scott, I'd bet you are right about the solar panels on Juno being massively ruggedized compared to their commercial cousins. OTOH, as I discovered during the reporting for my upcoming June feature article on Materials for Miniaturization, the materials for making solar junction box and connector materials are going through a sea-change of increased strength as they get smaller and must increase their flame retardance and electrical and impact resistance properties. Meanwhile, DN has published several articles on structural materials and fasteners for harsh environments, including fasteners http://www.designnews.com/document.asp?doc_id=241288 coatings http://www.designnews.com/document.asp?doc_id=237966 smart paint http://www.designnews.com/document.asp?doc_id=238756 and adhesives http://www.designnews.com/document.asp?doc_id=237011
Dave, thanks for that info on other materials, especially the shape memory composites. And the info about pyrolizing wood to make a ceramic is also fascinating.
Ann, always enjoy information on the materials science side of things. If I could magically turn back the clock to my 20's I probably would have focused on that area for my degree. It would be interesting to see more articles about materials designed specifically for harsh or difficult environments. I'll bet those solar panels mentioned in the article are only distant cousins to the PV cells found in the consumer market for example.
On return missions to earth, I wonder if there is danger of introducing new materials or elements or even viruses that could interact negatively with our environment. I wonder if there is a testing/incubation procedure to examine materials before they are openly exposed to earth and humans.
I agree, Ann, that returning a craft to Earth would be tricky. In addition to the technology needed to power the craft, gather and transmit data, the craft would also have to include materials to keep the craft from burning up as it re-enters Earth's atmosphere.
Beth, I had the same thought also because of last week's post and discussion about space junk. And I think it would be excellent to be able to check out the materials' performance under such harsh conditions. But recovery and/or return cost a lot and isn't simple to do.
naperlou, I was amazed that Juno is powered by solar panels. Aside from their size, solar power technology has obviously gotten a lot more powerful and power-dense if we can power a satellite with it for all that time.
Inspired by the hooks a parasitic worm uses to penetrate its host's intestines, the Karp Lab has invented a flexible adhesive patch covered with microneedles that adheres well to wet, soft tissues, but doesn't cause damage when removed.
Engineers at the University of California, San Diego are designing a robotic arm that takes inspiration from the loose, flexible, yet very strong structure of the armored plates on a seahorse's tail.
Researchers at the Missouri University of Science & Technology have designed a new nanoscale material that can transmit light faster than the 186,000 miles per second it usually takes to travel through air.
It has often been said that as California goes, so goes the nation. This spring, the state's wind power is setting energy generation records and solar energy generation is expected to rise sharply during the second half of 2013.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
4 
