Abstract
Tether-net is a promising active debris removal technique, and a closing mechanism can ensure the reliable wrapping of space debris by using tether-net. This study focuses on the dynamics model of the split closing mechanism and the sliding joint between thread and ring. First, a new kind of closing mechanism is proposed, which drives the closing thread to close the net mouth through the split masses, and the mass-spring-damper method is used to model tether-net. Thereafter, for the first time, the model of thread-ring sliding joint is proposed based on the mass-spring-damper method, which can be used to simulate the closing process of tether-net. Finally, one-edge closure experiment of the net is carried out and the experimental results are compared with the simulation results, and the closing process of the tether-net is simulated by using the thread-ring sliding joint. Results reveal that the thread-ring sliding joint can be used to simulate the relative slip between the thread and the ring, and the tether-net can wrap the target reliably in a short time by using the split closing system. The split closing mechanism can make it possible for the tether-net to close successfully, whether it starts to work before or after the net contacts with the target.
Highlights
Since the beginning of space activities, the number of space debris has remarkably increased, and space debris may threaten critical space infrastructure, such as the International Space Station [1]
Tether-net is a new kind of active debris removal (ADR) technique, which is flexible, lightweighted, and cost-efficient [2, 3]
Shan et al modeled the tether-net by the absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF) and the massspring-damper method [6, 7], and an impulse-based method was used in a net capturing scenario [8]
Summary
Since the beginning of space activities, the number of space debris has remarkably increased, and space debris may threaten critical space infrastructure, such as the International Space Station [1]. Benvenuto et al discretized the net via the mass-spring-damper method and the studied capture of a full-scale tumbling target [5]. The performance of the mechanism was verified by ground test, and the process of net closure was simulated in the space environment [19]. The literature mentioned above focuses on the closing method discussion, but these studies do not provide the dynamics model of the net closure. The mechanism can launch two split masses through spring or high-pressure gas, which drive the closing thread to close the net mouth. A thread-ring slipping joint based on the mass-spring-damper method is proposed to simulate the closing process of the net.
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