Chains Raise the Roof on Space Exploration
When the world's largest optical telescope, Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC), entered its first phase of operation in July 2007 it was the culmination of many years of collaborative work. Several Spanish and Mexican institutions, University of Florida and numerous design and engineering companies were involved in its design and construction, including Rexnord Kette.
Costing more than Eur 130 million and using the latest precision technology, the La Palma based GTC is designed to enable scientists from around the world to observe and analyse the universe from the island's highest point (Roque de los Muchachos, 2426m).
Every consideration has therefore been made to ensure as near perfect performance as possible to achieve uninterrupted operation, and providing the highest quality images at all times.
Central to achieving these goals is a smooth drive system for manoeuvring the roof above the telescope both vertically and horizontally, without vibration, to permit the accurate functioning of the entire system.
This is where Rexnord chains are employed.For this project four stands of Laschenkette 64-1 with a pitch of 63.5mm and four stands of Laschenkette 50-1 with a pitch of 50.8mm were supplied by distributor Tansmisioines de Potencia.
Both sets of chain were matched as groups to provide combined balanced maximum chain pulls of 420 and 210kN, respectively.The new GTC uses advanced adaptive optics technology which means that flexible mirrors aid in correcting light abnormalities to prevent deformation of images.The telescope is expected to be fully operational by the summer of 2008.
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