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Electronic Resource
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SAND Report: SAND89-7028, December 1989
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ABSTRACT:
Improvements to a stretched-membrane heliostat have been designed and implemented under contract with Sandia National Laboratories. Specific improvements were made to the mirror module to improve performance and reduce costs. The performance of the heliostat in windy conditions was
Improvements to a stretched-membrane heliostat have been designed and implemented under contract with Sandia National Laboratories. Specific improvements were made to the mirror module to improve performance and reduce costs. The performance of the heliostat in windy conditions was
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improved by adding a restraint to the rear membrane. An open-section ring was used to increase structural efficiency. The rear structure was redesigned to take advantage of common manufacturing techniques and lower cost materials. The control system was improved, and a means of achieving passive defocus was achieved. Finally, membrane preload was applied with nonconsumable tooling. An 8% reduction in mirror-module cost was realized. The improved design was successfully demonstrated with a 50-m prototype. This prototype had improved optical stability in fluctuating winds. Its slope error in calm winds was measured to be 1.3 mrad. Show Less