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12 JPB Systeme has developed a wirelessly linked washer for remotely measuring bolt axial loads (writes Nick Flaherty). The Smart Washer performs the fundamental role of a standard washer, but includes a strain gauge and wireless link to provide engineers with a clear picture of axial loads. The gauge links to an app on a tablet or smartphone via a short-range passive near field communications (NFC) link. The wireless link is stimulated by a pulse from the terminal to transmit the data, in the same way as a contactless bank card. The challenge was to make the gauge and NFC chip robust enough to be used in the washer. The company worked on the custom strain gauges with France’s CETIM technical centre for the mechanical industry, while the CEA research institute worked on making the NFC chip as small and robust as possible. Using a remote strain gauge significantly increases the efficiency of assembly and maintenance operations by reducing the need to manually check A cargo module has been developed for an autonomous spacecraft to resupply the International Space Station (ISS) (writes Nick Flaherty). The Dreamchaser reusable autonomous spacecraft, developed by Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), will resupply the ISS over six flights starting in 2021. It will be launched on a Vulcan rocket and land in the same way as the Space Shuttle at the end of the mission at Kennedy Space Centre’s Shuttle Landing Facility. Also, a 5 m-long cargo module called Shooting Star has been delivered the torque level of every single traditional bolt. Instead, in just a few seconds engineers can be quickly alerted to any fasteners that are either too tight or too loose and attend to them accordingly. The real-time monitoring and full traceability of each Smart Washer across a platform can also be integrated into the performance monitoring system of an unmanned air or ground vehicle to flag up loose loads for maintenance. to NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre for testing ahead of its launch in the Dreamchaser. It will carry 5000 kg of pressurised or unpressurised payloads up to the ISS, and dispose of any “The Smart Washer is currently in beta testing at one of our customer production plants, and once the product is finalised, the next step will be to design and produce it in all the appropriate bolt sizes,” said Jonathan Beaumel, mechanical design engineer at JPB Systeme. The Smart Washer is expected to be commercially available by the end of this year. unwanted material on its return as it burns up in the atmosphere. SNC is working on an autonomous version of the Shooting Star that can be launched into orbit as a satellite. Monitoring Washer senses bolt load December/January 2020 | Unmanned Systems Technology x The washer’s strain gauge wirelessly links to an app Reusable ISS supplier Space vehicles The autonomous Dreamchaser will be carried to the ISS by a Vulcan rocket