Method and Apparatus for Measuring Thrust

摘要

Embodiments of the invention relate to a thrust stand and a method of measuring thrust. Embodiments of the invention pertain to a method of calibrating a thrust stand. Embodiments of the subject thrust stand can incorporate a passive eddy current based damper. Specific embodiments of the passive eddy current based damper can function without contact with the balance arm. Further specific embodiments of the passive eddy current based damper can be used in a vacuum. Embodiments can utilize signal analysis techniques to identify and reduce noise. A logarithmic decrement method can be used to calibrate the thrust stand. Force measurements can be made with embodiments of the subject thrust stand for a standard macroscale dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuator and/or other thrust producing devices.

主权项

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a frame; a cross beam; two flexure pivots, wherein the cross beam is interconnected to the frame via the two flexure pivots, and wherein when the cross beam is rotated about an axis of rotation from an equilibrium angular rotation position the two flexure pivots apply a corresponding two restoring forces that tend to rotate the cross beam back to the equilibrium angular rotation position; an angular rotation deflection detector, wherein when the cross beam is rotated about the axis of rotation from the equilibrium angular rotation position the angular rotation deflection detector detects an angular rotation deflection of the cross beam about the axis of rotation; and a magnetic damper, wherein as the cross beam oscillates about the axis of rotation eddy currents are induced in the magnetic damper that produce induced magnetic fields that dampen oscillations of the cross beam about the axis of rotation.