Performance evaluation of spaceborne cryocooler micro-vibration isolation system employing pseudoelastic SMA mesh washer

A spaceborne cryocooler produces undesirable micro-vibration disturbances during its on-orbit operation, which is one of the main sources of degradation of the image quality of high-resolution observation satellites. Therefore, to comply with the strict mission requirement for the acquisition of high-quality images, micro-vibration disturbances induced by cryocooler operation need to be isolated. In this study, we proposed a spaceborne cryocooler micro-vibration isolator that employs a pseudoelastic shape memory alloy (SMA) mesh washer, which guarantees vibration isolation performance in a severe launch vibration environment while effectively isolating the micro-vibrations from the cryocooler on-orbit. Basic characteristics of the cryocooler assembly integrated with the proposed isolators were measured through static tests and free vibration tests. The effectiveness of the isolator design was demonstrated by the micro-vibration measurement tests under qualification temperature limits. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.