dc.description.abstract | The purpose of the present thesis is to furnish diverse studies on the dynamic
response of satellite solar arrays. The term flexible structure or, briefly, structure has
different interpretations and definitions, depending on source and on application. The
solar array studied in the present thesis has flexible sub-structures and undergoes large
deformations.
Structural dynamics is an important basis of many engineering studies associated
with engineering structures, such as design, construction, and control. It generally
consists of two functions, i.e. free vibration analysis (modal analysis) and response
analysis (steady-state and transient analysis).
The thesis starts with introducing the solar array considered for our study and
then continues with several structural analyses, including nonlinear pre-stressed static
analysis, pre-stressed modal analysis, nonlinear full transient analysis and Fast Fourier
Transform study on the transient response.
The purpose of static analysis is to obtain the configuration of the array under
implementing static loads. Modal analysis provides the natural frequencies and mode
shapes which are the intrinsic dynamic properties of the structure. Transient analysis is used for evaluating the mechanical behavior of the structure. It gives relations between
the intrinsic properties of structure and the external excitations. Transient analysis under
different types of inputs will be used to track physical quantities like displacement,
rotation, stress, and strain during specific satellite maneuvers. Pointing error will be
introduced as a measure of accuracy of Sun tracking maneuver. It will be computed as a
postprocessing step on the transient displacement results. To improve the pointing error
which will consequently result in higher energy generating performance, two other
staggering type input profiles are proposed for each orbit, GEO and LEO. Pointing error
and vibration response under the proposed inputs are obtained to determine the
efficiency of the new inputs. After a comparison, it will be shown that the proposed
inputs are more efficient in the Sun tracking solar array maneuver.
At the end, a novel approach in performing mode-superposition transient analysis
using modal effective mass tables is introduced. Since it is very common among
engineers to assume the first 10 percent or 20 percent of the mode shapes when mode-superposition
method is preferred to obtain the transient response, this novel approach shows that even
smaller numbers of mode shapes can be assumed to perform this type of analysis and
still obtain acceptable results, only if the assumed modes contain the majority of the
modal effective mass in a specific direction, depending on the loading condition. | en |