US 2026/0118237 A1Published application

Systems and methods for performing response testing at low temperatures

AssigneeBlue Origin Manufacturing, LLC

InventorsBryan Matthew Hopkins, Jacob A. Fleming, Tyler R. D'Amato, Richard S. Winston, Christopher Anderson

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Abstract

Systems and methods are directed toward low temperature testing of motion, vibration, or force responses of test fixtures. For cryogenic shock testing, a test object can be secured on a test apparatus, such as a test fixture of a shock table. An elongated enclosure, such as a flexible tube, can be connected between the test fixture and a laser vibrometer, positioned orthogonal to a surface normal at a test region of the test fixture to enable light emitted by the vibrometer to be reflected from the test region back to the vibrometer. A flow of purge gas can be introduced into the tube, proximate the test fixture, to direct moisture away from the test fixture. The flow can prevent condensation or ice from forming on the surface of the test fixture at the cryogenic temperature. A shock event can be simulated, and the response of the test region measured by the laser vibrometer. The impact of the shock event on the test object can then be observed.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A cryogenic shock testing apparatus, comprising:

a shock table to secure a test object to a test fixture and to allow a shock event to be simulated with respect to the test object;
a temperature controller to reduce a temperature of the test object to a cryogenic temperature;
a laser vibrometer positioned to focus a test beam on a test region, and to detect a portion of the test beam reflected from the test region;
a flexible tube connectable to the test fixture to create a controlled environment between the laser vibrometer and the test fixture;
and
a source of a purge gas able to provide a controlled flow of the purge gas through an inlet in the flexible tube proximate the test region, the flow of purge gas being primarily directed away from the test region to remove moisture from the controlled environment before shock testing and resist moisture from entering the test region during the shock testing,
wherein the shock event is able to be simulated via the shock table while the test object is at the cryogenic temperature, and wherein the laser vibrometer is able to detect a portion of the test beam transmitted through the controlled environment and reflected from the test region, differences between one or more parameters of the emitted test beam and the reflected portion of the test beam being indicative of a response of the test region to the simulated shock event.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.