Design and fabrication of a lightweight laser scanning mirror from Metal-Matrix Composites

摘要

This paper discusses the design and fabrication of ultra lightweight laser scanning mirrors from two types of Metal-Matrix Composites (MMC) for the next generation Space Vision System (SVS). The materials selected for this study were SiC paniculate reinforced aluminum (Al/SiC) and beryllium-aluminum (AlBeMet) composites. Three mirror designs are presented and compared in terms of mass, rotational inertia and first mode natural frequency. Mirror surface layer selection and processing are discussed. Problems encountered during the mirror fabrication and the ways to solve it are presented.