High-accuracy thrust measurements of the EMDrive and elimination of false-positive effects

The EMDrive is a proposed propellantless propulsion concept claiming to be many orders of magnitude more efficient than classical radiation pressure forces. It is based on microwaves, which are injected into a closed tapered cavity, producing a unidirectional thrust with values of at least 1 mN/kW. This was met with high scepticism going against basic conservation laws and classical mechanics. However, several tests and theories appeared in the literature supporting this concept. Measuring a thruster with a significant thermal and mechanical load as well as high electric currents, such as those required to operate a microwave amplifier, can create numerous artefacts that produce false-positive thrust values. After many iterations, we developed an inverted counterbalanced double pendulum thrust balance, where the thruster can be mounted on a bearing below its suspension point to eliminate most thermal drift effects. In addition, the EMDrive was self-powered by a battery-pack to remove undesired interactions due to feedthroughs. We found no thrust values within a wide frequency band including several resonance frequencies and different modes. Our data limit any anomalous thrust to below the force equivalent from classical radiation for a given amount of power. This provides strong limits to all proposed theories and rules out previous test results by at least two orders of magnitude.

Analysis of the inertial propulsion concept

In this paper, an inertial device of the simplest design is proposed, which allows us to visually analyze the principle of its operation. The device is a radio-controlled car placed on the bottom of a long light cardboard box. The box is on the table. Using the remote control, the car accelerates and collides with one of the walls. On impact, the box moves across the table. Next, the car is taken to the opposite wall by the remote control without a collision. Then the process is repeated, as a result of which the device jerks along the table in one direction (in the example - to the right). The advantage of this method of control is that it is contactless, the disadvantage is that it is manual. In the framework of classical mechanics, the average speed of the box movement on the table is calculated. It depends on the ratio of the mass of the car and the box, the proportion of weight that falls on the driving wheels, the coefficient of friction between the wheels and the bottom of the box, the coefficient of friction between the box and the table, the difference in the length of the box and the car. It is shown that the average speed with a decrease in the friction force on the side of the support should first increase, and with a further decrease in friction - decrease. A condition is found under which the dependence of the average velocity on the friction force has a maximum.