Modeling and Measuring Friction of the Leighton 10m Telescope

Estimating and identifying friction are important aspects of simulating a mechanical drive system. Accurate friction modeling helps to improve a telescope’s performance. However, the friction conditions inside are complex and hard to measure. We did simulations with mathematical transfer functions for the Leighton 10 m Telescope and employed a polyline model to identify sources of friction. We made a two-stage model for the Leighton 10 m Telescope. Based on measurements of the motor’s currents and speeds, we constructed a curve containing the friction information of the transmission elements. We simulated the system using a step function input under many combinations of friction parameters. By comparing simulation results with the measured ones, we determined the various friction components. This model accurately reproduced the telescope performance including the nonlinearities.