Thermoelastic Damping Based Design, Sensitivity Study and Demonstration of a Functional Hybrid Gyroscope Resonator for High Quality Factor

The most critical element of Hemispherical Resonator Gyroscope (HRG) is the high quality factor ( Q -factor) mechanical resonator. This paper discusses the role of thermoelastic damping (TED) on effective Q -factor. Finite element method (FEM) is used to solve this highly coupled field problem involving vibration, solid mechanics, heat transfer and thermodynamics. The major contribution of this paper is the sensitivity analysis of the effect of material property, operating temperature and dimensions to arrive at macro scale resonator configuration. Hybrid hemispherical-cylindrical configuration is proposed by studying the performance parameters such as effective mass and angular gain.The uniqueness of the present work is the sensitivity study of ultra thin film coating (volume fraction of 0.01%), coating variations and different coating configurations. The coating can reduce the Q -factor by a few orders compared to uncoated shell. It hs been found that coating material selection and coating configuration are very important factors. Another significance of the present work is the realization and detailed characterization of the hybrid fused silica resonator. Thin film gold coating is done on the 3D surfaces of the realized precision resonator. Detailed coating characterization is carried out using sophisticated instruments. Very fine balancing to the order of a few mHz is achieved after coating. Q -factor measurement of the coated resonator is carried out using LDV and achieved a few millions in the final functional hybrid resonator.