Improvements made in the ultrasonic thermal expansion measurement methods used at Corning Incorporated have significantly increased the precision of absolute CTE measurements on ULE^TM glass. Precise CTE data were required for modeling the performance of 8-meter mirror blanks. Several repeatability and reproducibility studies for many of the measurements performed throughout the 8- meter process were performed. Measurement equipment and procedures were then improved to obtain the required precision. A volume of absolute CTE data collected during the manufacture of three 8-meter mirror blanks is summarized, showing excellent results. Comparison with previously demonstrated precision is also given.

Date Published: 11 November 1996
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 2857, Advanced Materials for Optical and Precision Structures, (11 November 1996); doi: 10.1117/12.258287

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 2857:
Advanced Materials for Optical and Precision Structures
Mark A. Ealey, Editor(s)