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Investigation of the potential applications of shape memory alloys for space debris remediation applications
Active debris removal is becoming an important area of research due to the rapid growth of space debris and the need for some form of debris remediation. Debris remediation concepts fall into two general categories: contactbased and contactless. Contact-based schemes for debris capture have to overc...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Department of Electrical Engineering
2019
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| _version_ | 1867613486548254720 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Feng, Louis Wei-Yu |
| author2 | Martinez, Peter |
| author_browse | Feng, Louis Wei-Yu Martinez, Peter |
| author_facet | Martinez, Peter Feng, Louis Wei-Yu |
| author_sort | Feng, Louis Wei-Yu |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Active debris removal is becoming an important area of research due to the rapid growth of space debris and the need for some form of debris remediation. Debris remediation concepts fall into two general categories: contactbased and contactless. Contact-based schemes for debris capture have to overcome the challenge of capturing a noncooperating object in space with no pre-designed attachment points. Various schemes involving, inter alia, nets and harpoons have been proposed. In this paper we explore the potential to use shape-memory alloys as a technological basis for a debris capturing solution that can be used multiple times. A proof-of-concept prototype was developed at the University of Cape Town, named MEDUSA (Mechanism for Entrapment of Debris Using Shape memory Alloy). This has been designed as a validation payload for a CubeSat test platform to perform a small debris capture proofof-concept demonstration. MEDUSA uses the shape-memory alloy ninitol, which gives it the ability to assume preprogrammed “open” and “closed” shapes after distortion. Each of the five arms of MEDUSA can attain both preprogrammed shapes to allow reversible operations. This paper presents the design and development process from the conceptual design to the current Mk-III prototype, this work is an improvement based on the prototype Mk-II. The device has completed thermal and vacuum testing at the Institute for Space Systems in Stuttgart Germany to assess its performance under various environmental conditions. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/29632 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:36:55.095Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2019 |
| publishDateRange | 2019 |
| publishDateSort | 2019 |
| publisher | Department of Electrical Engineering |
| publisherStr | Department of Electrical Engineering |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/29632 Investigation of the potential applications of shape memory alloys for space debris remediation applications Feng, Louis Wei-Yu Martinez, Peter Electrical Engineering Active debris removal is becoming an important area of research due to the rapid growth of space debris and the need for some form of debris remediation. Debris remediation concepts fall into two general categories: contactbased and contactless. Contact-based schemes for debris capture have to overcome the challenge of capturing a noncooperating object in space with no pre-designed attachment points. Various schemes involving, inter alia, nets and harpoons have been proposed. In this paper we explore the potential to use shape-memory alloys as a technological basis for a debris capturing solution that can be used multiple times. A proof-of-concept prototype was developed at the University of Cape Town, named MEDUSA (Mechanism for Entrapment of Debris Using Shape memory Alloy). This has been designed as a validation payload for a CubeSat test platform to perform a small debris capture proofof-concept demonstration. MEDUSA uses the shape-memory alloy ninitol, which gives it the ability to assume preprogrammed “open” and “closed” shapes after distortion. Each of the five arms of MEDUSA can attain both preprogrammed shapes to allow reversible operations. This paper presents the design and development process from the conceptual design to the current Mk-III prototype, this work is an improvement based on the prototype Mk-II. The device has completed thermal and vacuum testing at the Institute for Space Systems in Stuttgart Germany to assess its performance under various environmental conditions. 2019-02-18T11:26:49Z 2019-02-18T11:26:49Z 2018 2019-02-15T08:34:12Z Master Thesis Masters MPhil http://hdl.handle.net/11427/29632 eng application/pdf Department of Electrical Engineering Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Electrical Engineering Feng, Louis Wei-Yu Investigation of the potential applications of shape memory alloys for space debris remediation applications |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Investigation of the potential applications of shape memory alloys for space debris remediation applications |
| title_full | Investigation of the potential applications of shape memory alloys for space debris remediation applications |
| title_fullStr | Investigation of the potential applications of shape memory alloys for space debris remediation applications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigation of the potential applications of shape memory alloys for space debris remediation applications |
| title_short | Investigation of the potential applications of shape memory alloys for space debris remediation applications |
| title_sort | investigation of the potential applications of shape memory alloys for space debris remediation applications |
| topic | Electrical Engineering |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/29632 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT fenglouisweiyu investigationofthepotentialapplicationsofshapememoryalloysforspacedebrisremediationapplications |