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An electrostatic calibration technique is highly flexible in producing a wide range of force and it is widely applied for nano-newton to micro-newton thrust stand calibration. This paper proposes a novel method for electrostatic comb implementation and related experiments have been carried out. Based on the printed circuit board and commercial fins, the comb can be realized flexibly with the output force conveniently extended. The force generated by this kind of comb is theoretically analyzed. Different from the traditional comb structure, the conductive area of the comb fixed plate is minimized to improve the force consistency over engagement. The influence of fin length, fin number, applied voltage, and engagement on the output force has been studied experimentally. The final comb system is capable of producing steady force in the range 13-5040 μN with the relative error within 5%. With a high voltage pulse generator, this system could produce calibration impulse bit in the range 1-1000 μN s for which the lowest level can be far more extended to the nanonewton range with a shorter pulse width, a lower voltage, and a reduced number of fins. Moreover, the calibrator has a rather flat force-engagement characteristic when the engagement is in the range of 6 mm–16 mm, while the variation of electrostatic force is within 5%. This calibrator has a wide output range and great consistency, and it is beneficial for the thrust stand calibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a torsional thrust balance with an asymmetrical arm is designed and tested which is effective for the microthruster performance evaluation in the vacuum facilities with limited space. An optimization design method for the key parameters of the thrust balance has been developed. By utilizing the asymmetrical arm, a great resolution can be obtained with a restrained arm length. A novel printed circuit board electrostatic comb has been applied to the thrust balance calibration. Experimental results show that the comb is capable of producing steady force in the range of about 30 μN–3300 μN and an impulse bit of 7 µNs–777 µNs which can be further extended to nano-Newton second range with a shorter pulse width and a lower voltage. The calibration results show that the thrust balance has a great repeatability and reliability. The total uncertainty of the thrust stand is estimated to be 3.33% in the 1 µNs range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]