Test Bench Design and Contact Model Analysis for Pyroshock Testing

Recent advancements in the space sector, such as the active involvement of private investors and the integration of reusable launchers, have driven down the costs associated with space missions, leading to a surge in spacecraft launches. Spacecraft testing plays an essential role in the pre-deployment phase, particularly in mitigating the risks of failure of critical components associated with violent events such as shocks experienced during launch and deployment; those shocks comes mainly from devices that are used extensively in space, namely pyrotechnic devices. Physical tests to simulate pyrotechnic shocks are common and well documented by different standards, but often require iterative and time-consuming setup and calibration processes. Addressing these challenges, research initiatives by members of the Dynamics of Mechanical Systems and Identification Laboratory of Politecnico di Torino have focused on developing parametric models capable of overcoming such limitations. This thesis aims to explain the author’s contribution to the development of a test platform designed to gather extensive data, essential for refining and validating such models. In particular, this activity focused on the structural verification of the frame supporting the resonant plate according to European standards and the design of a safety device for the test bench. Additionally, analysing a pre-existing dataset, it is proposed an approach for extracting pertinent features from the data obtainable from the test bench and correlate them with testing characteristics, and compare different contact models to asses their reliability in modelling a particular set of impacts.