This project investigates a compound, flexure suspension and spin-prohibited alternator geometry for free-piston, Stirling engine power conversion. The system appears to offer large improvements in reliability, mass and size, and manufacturing cost. The proposed effort shall provide a design and life test for the suspension system and a complete conceptual-preliminary design of the associated alternator. Currently, bearings are the most unreliable components and alternators the most massive in a free-piston machine. Improvements in both reliability and power-to-mass are required to succeed with Stirling spacepower units. Cost and reliability improvements are required for terrestrial commercialization. The proposed innovations provide a major advance for both applications. These innovations would eliminate the most unreliable components of free-piston Stirling power conversion systems and provide dramatic improvements in manufacturability of the alternator and suspension. alternator, Stirling, flexure, suspension, permanent-magnetSTATUS: Phase I Only
