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Old 15-07-2014, 09:35 PM
Wavytone
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Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Killara, Sydney
Posts: 4,147
Vignesh,

Loss of mass just means a cumbersome mount that is annoying to lug around - it doesn't necessarily mean it is particularly stiff in response to the loads (and torques applied on the shafts). One of the reason dobsonians are surprisingly stiff, despite the use of lightweight low density materials like plywood or composites.

Use FEA to work out where this flexes (and where it doesn't) in order to work out when it needs stiffening, and where you can trim the lard off it ? My guess is you could halve the mass without much difficulty, and easily done if this is to be produced by CAD/CAM.

With a telescope on top and thus sitting on a pier or tripod, stiffness is best measured by the frequency is oscillates at when a step or impulse load is applied - the higher the frequency the better.

The second characteristic that matters is how fast the oscillations are damped - the faster the better. In this respect lighter mass is a huge advantage - the amplitude is reduced, and the damping is faster in comparison to a similar but heavier design.

Systems engineering is one thing; classical control system theory is a rather overlooked subject - as a subject it is intensely mathematical and difficult - and much more important in many domains if you are aiming to be an EE.
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