Experimental studies on the silicone oil-damped actuators used to deploy solar panels on satellites were performed under a variety of thermal conditions. The studies were performed in order to determined if material, detrimental to the performance of the panels or other similar equipment, emanated from the actuators. It was observed that volatile components present in the silicon oil were not released from the interior of the device during thermal cycling. It was observed, however, that the surface of the test actuator examined was contaminated with a volatile hydrocarbon(s) as a consequence of an inadequate cleaning process. This process was modified and flight actuators were found to be adequately free of this contamination.

Date Published: 18 December 1992
PDF: 10 pages
Proc. SPIE 1754, Optical System Contamination: Effects, Measurement, Control III, (18 December 1992); doi: 10.1117/12.140732

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 1754:
Optical System Contamination: Effects, Measurement, Control III
A. Peter M. Glassford, Editor(s)