Performance verification of passive vibration isolator for dual-cryocooler assembly

Recent trends in satellite miniaturization and mission advancement have increased the demand for the simultaneous detection of mid-wave infrared and long-wave infrared bands. This dual-band infrared detection requires a dual-cryocooler configuration to cool the MWIR and LWIR detectors independently. The dual cryocooler can operate in either single- or dual-compressor operating modes according to the mission requirements, and micro-vibration isolation for each operating mode is required. To satisfy this requirement, we developed a passive vibration isolator for a dual-cryocooler assembly to attenuate micro-vibrations in both operating modes. The micro-vibration isolation performance was predicted based on the basic characteristics of the vibration isolator, and the dynamic behavior of the dual-cryocooler assembly with the vibration isolator was analyzed using finite-element modal analysis. Results of a micro-vibration measurement test demonstrated that the proposed vibration isolator effectively attenuated micro-vibrations better than the rigid condition in both single- and dual-compressor operating modes. In addition, the structural integrity of the proposed vibration isolator was verified through launch-environment tests.