Latest modification of the deployable space reflector structure with V-folding bars

Abstract

In this paper, a new modification of the mechanical load-bearing ring structure is considered. It is shown that due to the appropriate changes made to the ring, its structure possesses obvious advantages as compared with the previously proposed variant. The projecting tips of the struts to which the central flexible shaping system is attached are replaced by paired levers with torsion springs of new design, which guarantee the smooth deployment of the ring and keep the cables in permanently tensioned condition. In the new modification, the central flexible shaping system is directly attached to the upper and lower hoops of the ring, thereby preventing the bending of struts when the reflector is completely deployed. The new multi-stage deployment scheme of the structure considered in the paper operates without synchronization mechanisms—the upper and lower kinematic chains get deployed not simultaneously as in the previous ring variant but in alternating order. The validity of design computations is confirmed by the FEM mathematical models for which deformations of structural elements, displacement of nodes, and eigenfrequency values are determined. The optimization of structural elements makes it possible to design the mechanical characteristics and strength margin of the ring with a minimal number of elements and minimal cross-sectional values, which simplifies the ring structure on the whole, and reduces its weight.