Precision assessment of micro-thruster performance: A comparative study of indium field emission electric propulsion thrust measurement methods with a force-feedback pendulum  

作　　者：Bo-Song Cai Yan Shen Yuan Zhong Jian-Ping Liu Yu-Qing Wang Zhu Li Liang-Cheng Tu Shan-Qing Yang 蔡柏松;沈岩;钟源;刘建平;王宇清;李祝;涂良成;杨山清

机构地区：[1]School of Aeronautics and Astronautics,Sun Yat-Sen University(Shenzhen Campus),Shenzhen 518107,China [2]Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Intelligent Microsatellite Constellation,Shenzhen 518107,China [3]MOE Key Laboratory of TianQin Mission,TianQin Research Center for Gravitational Physics&School of Physics and Astronomy,Frontiers Science Center for TianQin,Gravitational Wave Research Center of CNSA,Sun Yat-Sen University(Zhuhai Campus),Zhuhai 519082,China [4]School of Information Engineering,Xinyu University,Xinyu 338004,China

出　　处：《Chinese Physics B》2025年第4期132-141,共10页中国物理B(英文版)

基　　金：Project supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2020YFC2201001);the Guangdong Major Project of Basic and Applied Basic Research(Grant No.2019B030302001);the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.12105373,12105374,and 11927812);the Science and Technology Research Project of Jiangxi Provincial Department of Education(Grant No.GJJ2402105).

摘　　要：Accurate thrust assessment is crucial for characterizing the performance of micro-thrusters.This paper presents a comprehensive evaluation of the thrust generated by a needle-type indium field emission electric propulsion(In-FEEP)micro-thruster using three methods based on a pendulum:direct thrust measurement,indirect plume momentum transfer and beam current diagnostics.The experimental setup utilized capacitive displacement sensors for force detection and a voice coil motor as a feedback actuator,achieving a resolution better than 0.1μN.Key performance factors such as ionization and plume divergence of ejected charged particles were also examined.The study reveals that the high applied voltage induces significant electrostatic interference,becoming the dominant source of error in direct thrust measurements.Beam current diagnostics and indirect plume momentum measurements were conducted simultaneously,showing strong agreement within a deviation of less than 0.2N across the operational thrust range.The results from all three methods are consistent within the error margins,verifying the reliability of the indirect measurement approach and the theoretical thrust model based on the electrical parameters of In-FEEP.

关 键 词：MICRO-THRUSTER field emission thrust stand micro-thrust measurement calibration PENDULUM 

分 类 号：V439[航空宇航科学与技术—航空宇航推进理论与工程]