Flywheel vibration isolation test using a variable-damping isolator

This study demonstrates the isolation performance of a variable-damping isolator using a bio-metal fiber (BMF) valve to enhance the pointing performance of observation satellites by isolating disturbances induced by reaction wheel assemblies. Vibration isolation tests of the variable-damping isolator were performed using an air-floating wheel disturbance detector to investigate whether the isolator can actually isolate flywheel vibration. In this paper, we first present a recently developed variable-damping isolator with low power consumption, and a reaction wheel disturbance detector, fabricated in a previous study, which detects low-frequency disturbances. Next, we describe the effectiveness of the variable-damping isolator based on flywheel vibration isolation test results.