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TEMBO®, CTD's Elastic Memory Composite (EMC) materials, are taking off! The Elastic Memory Composite Hinge (EMCH)
experiment has been delivered to NASA for flight to the International Space Station (ISS). The EMCH experiment, sponsored
by the Space Vehicles Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory, is manifested on STS-116. EMCH will travel to
the ISS aboard Space Shuttle Discovery scheduled for launch in December 2006. EMCH is to remain on the ISS for 18 months.
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EMCH Flight Hardware |
The EMCH experiment will validate operation of TEMBO® EMC hinges in the zero gravity environment of the ISS. The
EMCH experiment consists of six TEMBO® EMC hinges that will be packaged and deployed by the ISS crew. Numerous
package and deployment cycles of the experimental hardware will test the robustness, reliability, and validate design
assumptions made about operation of the TEMBO® EMC Hinge in zero-gravity. |
Packaging EMCH for Flight |
TEMBO® EMC Hinges have been developed for a wide range of applications including deployable solar arrays, booms,
and optical systems. TEMBO® EMC Hinges are designed to drive and dampen the deployment of a structure and hold the
structure firmly at the end of deployment with no dead band. The TEMBO® EMC Hinge is a robust and simple mechanism
that has the means for controlling the rate of deployment. These hinges have fewer parts and do not require complicated
electronics to operate. The TEMBO® Hinge eliminates the need for separate drive, damping, and locking mechanisms. |
TEMBO® Hinges are substantially simpler and lighter than traditional mechanical hinge/actuators. Combining structural
properties of traditional fiber reinforced composites and shape memory polymer characteristics, TEMBO® components replace
traditional mechanical deployment systems with a simpler and lighter system. TEMBO® structures can be compactly packaged
for launch, efficiently integrated with satellites, and reliably deployed on orbit with predictable performance. |
TEMBO® EMC Hinge - Packaged |
TEMBO® is the start of something big! Traditional size and scaling barriers for spacecraft systems will vanish.
Future mission concepts requiring large lightweight structures are now near realization. TEMBO® is a new class of
adaptable materials – materials that can react to a variety of external stimuli and provide smart multi-functional responses
to a spacecraft's changing needs and environments. |
RAPDAR – TEMBO® EMC Deployed Solar Array |
Contact CTD and see how your solutions can take off with
TEMBO® EMC Hinges and deployable structures. |
