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Completed TRL 4
Project Objective
The enhanced profile scanning platform enables quantification of bumps and other damage on MSFC's epoxy flat floor, which will inform remediation efforts needed to maintain the floor's air bearing capability.
Project Description
The epoxy flat floor in the Flat Floor Robotics Lab (FFRL) is a unique and important capability for ground testing of space systems. The Flat Floor gives a smooth surface for air bearings to float on, simulating zero gravity dynamics in two dimensions. The floor was poured in 1982, and over 43 years, the floor has collected damage in the form of raised bumps. These bumps prevent air bearings, especially those supporting heavier mockups, from floating properly. The floor is 44 x 86 feet, which poses a challenge for measuring and mapping the full scope of damage that the floor has collected over four decades.
A platform is needed to measure the bumps repeatably, and given the size of the floor, the platform needs to account for ease of use and some semi-autonomous features. The proof of concept for this scanner platform involved putting a laser profile scanner on a 6-foot linear actuator and attaching this to an air bearing base. At a scan width of only 12 inches, and accounting for scan speed and repositioning of the air bearing base, it would take hundreds of hours to complete a scan of the entire floor. The enhanced profile scanning platform utilizes a 46-foot truss that spans the width of the epoxy floor, sitting on two motorized trolleys to enable positioning along the length of the floor. This requires less manual manipulation and alignment of the platform and reduces the total number of scans needed to cover the floor.
Project Results and Conclusions
This is an ongoing effort. But notably, funding was allocated this year for the purchase of a new Keyence LJ-X8400 2D/3D laser profiler. This profiler can capture the width, height and area of epoxy bumps. This scanner has been mounted to a truss, with re-assembled drive trains to provide enough torque to move the platform. New electronics are being incorporated to enable smooth control and operation of the platform, and development is under way for initial analysis of profile scans.
This scanner platform will provide quantitative data on the size and distribution of epoxy floor bumps. This data will be used to characterize floor usability and will be used to monitor the success and/or longevity of remediation efforts. One remediation effort underway is to use a plunger to apply concentrated weight on a bump, to “push” it back into the floor. The scanner platform allows us to take before and after measurements and monitor the dimple/bump in the days after treatment to observe its effectiveness.
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