Effect of enclosed fluid on the dynamic response of inflated torus

Abstract

Large inflatable structures have been the subject of renewed interest for scientists/engineers in recent years due to their potential space applications such as communication antennas, solar thermal propulsion and space solar power. The major advantages of using inflatable structures in space are their extremely low-weight, on-orbit deployability and inherent low launch volume. An inflated torus is a key component of many inflated space structures such as a thin membrane reflector. In view of their importance, structural static and dynamic behavior of inflated torus need to be investigated. In order to develop a more realistic model, dynamic interaction between the enclosed fluid and the torus has been included in the present work. An appreciable decrease in the modal frequencies is observed when fluid–structure interaction is taken into account. Some additional modes are also obtained. It is concluded that fluid–structure interaction significantly affects the dynamic behavior of inflatable space structures.