Thermal Stability Analysis of MEMS Vibrating Ring Gyroscopes for Space Applications.

This research presents a study into the thermal stability of a MEMS vibrating ring gyroscope, specifically designed for space and harsh environmental applications. An innovative internal vibrating ring gyroscope design configuration was modelled and analysed using finite element analysis (FEA) in ANSYS R1 2023 software. The proposed design exhibited structural stability by incorporating sixteen support springs connected to the internal vibrating ring, and the whole structure is supported through externally placed anchors. The primary objective is to study the robustness of these gyroscopes under severe thermal fluctuations, ranging from −100 °C to 100 °C. The FEA results indicate that increasing the number of semicircular support springs significantly enhances the structural integrity and thermal performance of the gyroscopes. The proposed design presents the symmetric structure of the vibrating ring gyroscope that oscillates with identical wine glass mode shapes for driving and sensing resonance frequencies. Additionally, reduced thermal deformation, thermal stresses, and thermal strains compared to the traditional vibrating ring gyroscopes. These findings corroborate the effectiveness of the proposed internal design approach, confirming the suitability of MEMS vibrating ring gyroscopes for various applications, including aerospace, defense, and automotive industries. Overall, this research work provides valuable insight into optimizing MEMS vibrating ring gyroscope designs for high-performance and thermally stable inertial sensing applications.