1 March 2006 Development of a carbon fiber composite active mirror: design and testing
Sarah Kendrew, Peter Doel, David Brooks, Chris Dorn, Chris Yates, Richard Martin Dwan, Ian M. Richardson, Glynn Evans
Author Affiliations +
Abstract
Carbon fiber composite technology for lightweight mirrors is gaining increasing interest in the space- and ground-based astronomical communities for its low weight, ease of manufacturing, excellent thermal qualities, and robustness. We present here first results of a project to design and produce a 27-cm diameter deformable carbon fiber composite mirror. The aim was to produce high surface form accuracy as well as low surface roughness. As part of this program, a passive mirror was developed to investigate stability and coating issues. Results from the manufacturing and polishing process are reported here. We also present results of a mechanical and thermal finite element analysis, as well as early experimental findings on the deformable mirror. Possible applications and future work are discussed.
©(2006) Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)
Sarah Kendrew, Peter Doel, David Brooks, Chris Dorn, Chris Yates, Richard Martin Dwan, Ian M. Richardson, and Glynn Evans "Development of a carbon fiber composite active mirror: design and testing," Optical Engineering 45(3), 033401 (1 March 2006). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.2179771
Published: 1 March 2006
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CITATIONS
Cited by 12 scholarly publications.
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KEYWORDS
Mirrors

Composites

Polishing

Disk lasers

Actuators

Carbon

Finite element methods

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