Digital Commons Network^™

Formation Of Circular Optical Membranes Under Free-Form Yielding, Christopher Tuan, David White

Christopher Y. Tuan

High‐quality optical reflector surfaces are attainable with the use of pressure‐formed membranes. The formation technique involves gradual application of fluid pressure on initially flat, simply supported circular membranes until a desirable center deflection is reached. After the fluid is removed, a uniform pressure is subsequently applied to offset the surface slope error. Empirical testing of membrane‐forming technique was conducted at two scales to define the critical process variables that controlled material yielding. Aluminum membranes with 54‐in. (1.4‐m) diameter were constructed for the smaller scale and with 144‐in. (3.7‐m) diameter for the larger scale. The experiments were carried out with the …