New Control System Of HYDRA 6DOF Shaker
Abstract
The Hydraulic Shaker Facility (HYDRA) located at ESTEC is used to perform mechanical vibration tests of spacecrafts, over all 6 axes of motion (translations and rotations), before they are launched into orbit. The facility is equipped with a Vibration Control Computer subsystem, whose function is to supervise and control the test operations and to perform pre- and post- processing of test data. A description of the original control by the original developers as implemented in the early 90’s can be found in [1]. The replacement of the HYDRA control system was necessary because the electrical components were beyond their lifetime and spare parts were no longer available in the market. The new control software also enhanced overall reliability and brought a number of new functionalities, such as seamless interfacing to external controllers.
- Publication:
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12th European Conference on Spacecraft Structures, Materials and Environmental Testing
- Pub Date:
- July 2012
- Bibcode:
- 2012ESASP.691E..48S