Piezoelectric stabilizers to increase yields.

[MTd2]

Instead of having to disassemble everything, one would realign all the configuration after each shot with nanometer precision by precision control of voltage in piezoelectric junctions. What do you think?

http://lawrencevilleplasmaphysics.com/index.php?option=com_lyftenbloggie&view=entry&year=2011&month=05&day=20&id=36:increased-repeatability-of-shots&Itemid=90

[zapkitty]

Er… environmental stress.?

[MTd2]

I updated the first post. Check that out.

[zapkitty]

MTd2 wrote: I updated the first post. Check that out.

I might be missing something but the mechanical stresses in the switches and core alone would seem more than sufficient to overwhelm your nano-scale adjustment gear.

[MTd2]

I am referring to the accuracy of the adjustment, not the total adjustment.

[dennisp]

Reminds me of something General Fusion is doing. They’re using steam to drive their pistons, but fine-tuning the timing with electromagnetic brakes.

[zapkitty]

dennisp wrote: Reminds me of something General Fusion is doing. They’re using steam to drive their pistons, but fine-tuning the timing with electromagnetic brakes.

Yes, but the pistons are supposed to be moving… the electrodes in a classic dpf core are supposed to be stationary for the shot and the mechanical forces applied to them during a pB11 shot are going to yank any movable parts to the limit of their length(s) of travel.

Perhaps one could arrange all this so that the actuators are not crushed and do indeed help the electrodes align better for each shot… but essentially you’ve just introduced moving parts into a system that naturally cycles at hundreds of hertz and is already highly stressed.

So… implementation would seem to be the question.

[MTd2]

zapkitty wrote: Perhaps one could arrange all this so that the actuators are not crushed and do indeed help the electrodes align better for each shot… but essentially you’ve just introduced moving parts into a system that naturally cycles at hundreds of hertz and is already highly stressed.

Yes, this is the problem of realign the electrodes after each shot. The point of using actuators here is making the system remain at a fixed position.

[zapkitty]

MTd2 wrote:

Perhaps one could arrange all this so that the actuators are not crushed and do indeed help the electrodes align better for each shot… but essentially you’ve just introduced moving parts into a system that naturally cycles at hundreds of hertz and is already highly stressed.

Yes, this is the problem of realign the electrodes after each shot. The point of using actuators here is making the system remain at a fixed position.

And that’s my point. The switch electrodes are already supposed to be fixed in position now and as I understand it the switch geometry is still being altered sufficiently by the shots to affect the results. If you build leeway for movement into the system then it is [em]going to move[/em] regardless of actuators.

So, again, the question would be how can you make actuators work for you under those circumstances…

[MTd2]

A piezoelectric actuator just expands or contracts with an applied electrical current. A piezoelectric transforms pressure into an electric current, so it would be a matter of compensating a difference in voltage.

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