Dynamics of satellite with deployable rigid solar arrays

Abstract

This research is concerned with the dynamic modeling of satellite with deployable solar arrays equipped with strain energy hinges (SEH). The SEH is a new deployment device consisting of a strip tape measure, which utilizes the buckling behavior of a thin curved shell to produce nonlinear dynamic characteristics during deployment of solar arrays. For dynamic simulation, the SEH is assumed to be a massless-nonlinear elastic member and the solar panels are assumed to be rigid bodies which are connected by the SEHs. The planar deployment is of interest in this study since the deployment of solar arrays mainly occurs in a two-dimensional plane. In deriving the equations of motion, we developed a new systematic approach suitable for the simulation of solar array deployment in space. The simulation results were compared to the ground experimental results obtained at the laboratory of Korea Aerospace Research Institute. In the ground experiments, the hub of the solar arrays was attached to the frictionless rotational bearing, and the solar arrays were hanged by bungee cables. Even though the dynamic model was derived for the space deployment of the solar arrays, the simulation result corresponding to the solar array deployment was similar to the ground experimental results thus validating the simulation model developed in this paper.