FLUXWORKS, INC. — National Aeronautics and Space Administration SBIR Phase I: Z13

Description

Gearboxes are critical for reducing the mass of drivetrains but the lubrications that they require struggle with extremely cold and dusty environments.nbsp; Magnetic gears (MGs) are a promising noncontact alternative that does not require lubrication; however, existing topologies either struggle to achieve high gear ratios (coaxial MGs) or suffer from reliability and efficiency limitations (cycloidal MGs).nbsp; The proposed patented Flux Angle Mapping MG relies on an entirely new operating principle, which offers the potential to achieve the key performance parameter (KPP)nbsp;goals listed below:(A)nbsp;Min. ambient temperature actuator operation in hard vacuum without supplementary heating (deg;C)(B)nbsp;Average total efficiency in a lunar permanently shadowed region (%)(C)nbsp;Magnetic actuator life in dust-free environment (Output Cycles) nbsp;The state-of-the-art and goals for these KPPs are given in Table I of the Technical Volume and are listed on the briefing chart.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The high-level technical objectives of this project are to research and evaluate FAM MGs.nbsp; The deliverables are a final technical report including a transition and commercialization plan.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The first technical objective will be the use of parametric multi-physics simulation models to evaluate the suitability of FAM magnetic gears MGs for use in cold and dusty environments and to design a FAM MG technology demonstrator with the following specifications:gt;208 Nmiddot;m slip torquegt;43:1 gear ratiogt;55 Nmiddot;m/kg total mass torque density of the gearbox alonegt;2 rpm low-speed shaft speedgt;90% efficiencyThe second technical objective will be the development and testing of a proof-of-concept magnetic gear prototype with the same specifications listed above.nbsp; This prototype will demonstrate the feasibility of FAM magnetic gears and calibrate and validate the aforementioned simulation models.nbsp;The third objective is to develop a transition and commercialization plan, including a detailed plan to achieve TRL 6 in Phase II and TRL 9 by 2028.nbsp;