Removing Mid-Spatial Frequency (MSF) Errors Using Stress-Polishing

After diamond-turning aluminum aspheric mirrors, we will develop a stressed polishing process to improve surface figure and finish.This IRAD proposes to evaluate how stress polishing can be used to extend the application of super-polishing to fast aspheres and freeforms, removing sub-aperture MSF errors, such as tool marks, from diamond-turned aluminum optics.  It will leverage an old technique for manufacturing aspheres—stress polishing with a large tool. The aspheric surface will be generated using small tool manufacturing techniques. After the asphere is generated, a mechanical load will be placed onto the optic to deform the asphere into a sphere, using an interferometer to fine tune the deformation.  After the asphere is deformed into a sphere, the sub-aperture tool marks can be removed by post-polishing using the Goddard super-polishing process, a process limited to spheres and flats due to the fact that it requires the use of a tight fitting large polishing tool.

Data and Resources

Field Value
Groups
  • AmeriGEOSS
  • National Provider
  • North America
Tags
  • amerigeo
  • amerigeoss
  • ckan
  • geo
  • geoss
  • national
  • north-america
  • united-states
isopen False
license_id us-pd
license_title us-pd
maintainer TECHPORT SUPPORT
maintainer_email hq-techport@mail.nasa.gov
metadata_created 2025-11-30T14:08:04.596976
metadata_modified 2025-11-30T14:08:04.596981
notes <p>After diamond-turning aluminum aspheric mirrors, we will develop a stressed polishing process to improve surface figure and finish.<p/><p>This IRAD proposes to evaluate how stress polishing can be used to extend the application of super-polishing to fast aspheres and freeforms, removing sub-aperture MSF errors, such as tool marks, from diamond-turned aluminum optics.  It will leverage an old technique for manufacturing aspheres—stress polishing with a large tool. The aspheric surface will be generated using small tool manufacturing techniques. After the asphere is generated, a mechanical load will be placed onto the optic to deform the asphere into a sphere, using an interferometer to fine tune the deformation.  After the asphere is deformed into a sphere, the sub-aperture tool marks can be removed by post-polishing using the Goddard super-polishing process, a process limited to spheres and flats due to the fact that it requires the use of a tight fitting large polishing tool.</p>
num_resources 4
num_tags 8
title Removing Mid-Spatial Frequency (MSF) Errors Using Stress-Polishing