DESIGN OF A GYROSCOPE SUPPORT STRUCTURE MANUFACTURED BY SELEVTIVE LASER MELTING

Abstract

The presented paper gives a look inside the design and manufacturing of a support structure that carries the four gyroscopes of the attitude and orbit control system (AOCS) of the compact satellite Eu:CROPIS. The special characteristic of the selective laser melting (SLM) process and its impact onto the structural design is described in comparison to a composite design and a classical machined structure. Therefore, advantages and disadvantages of the SLM process are discussed. To evaluate the material properties, in compare to the given datasheet [3], a batch of specimens is tested under tensile loading. Specifically, vertical and horizontal fabricated specimens are tested to investigate the isotopically material behaviour. Furthermore, the porosity of the tensile specimens is estimated by using a colour penetration method. Finally, optical measurements are performed to determine the geometry of the produced structure, to then compare it to the CAD-template. Geometric deviations are thus assessed to prove the AOCS requirements.