The modeling of a torus solar array

Author

Palazotto, A.N. ; Naboulsi, S.K.

Author_Institution

Dept. of Aeronaut. & Astronaut., Air Force Inst. of Technol., Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, USA

fYear

2000

fDate

2000

Firstpage

399

Lastpage

405

Abstract

The focus of this paper is on the geometric imperfection in a parabolic shape associated with inflated structures which are built by joining together the main envelope (i.e. the reflector and canopy), the torus, and catenary support. The parabolic inflated structure is modeled using the finite element method incorporating the commercial finite element code ABAQUS. The purpose of the torus is to provide a stable boundary condition for the main envelope. Furthermore, the type of boundary condition imposed on the main envelope affect the shape of the inflated structure. The interaction between the torus and the reflector-canopy is investigated

Keywords

aerospace instrumentation; finite element analysis; solar absorber-convertors; ABAQUS; aerospace instrumentation; boundary condition; catenary support; finite element model; inflated structure; parabolic shape; reflector-canopy; torus solar array; Biomembranes; Boundary conditions; Costs; Finite element methods; Mirrors; Packaging; Satellites; Shape control; Space technology; Springs;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

National Aerospace and Electronics Conference, 2000. NAECON 2000. Proceedings of the IEEE 2000

Conference_Location

Dayton, OH

Print_ISBN

0-7803-6262-4

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/NAECON.2000.894938

Filename

894938