MEMBRANES FOR LARGE AND PRECISION DEPLOYABLE REFLECTORS

摘要

When the diameter of a space antenna reflector exceeds the launcher shroud dimensions, a large deployable reflector technology must be applied. For deployable reflector concepts different approaches are available ranging between shells, rod-cables and rod-membrane systems. For the latest ones having dimensionally stable thin membranes with high in plane stiffness and/or finite bending stiffness facilitating for the stowablity is significant. Using such membranes, highly accurate double curved large reflector surfaces, so called flexible shell-membranes can be built.New types of flexible shell-membranes based on fiber reinforced silicone technology being developed at the Institute of Lightweight Structures (LLB) are discussed and an evaluation of thermo-mechanical properties is given.The deployable reflector SMART is presented next, which uses the mentioned shell-membrane. The design principles and building blocks of SMART as well as results of thermo-elastic and dynamic analysis using a fully parametric FE model are addressed.