Abstract
The waveguides used in spacecraft antenna feeders are often assembled using external couplers or flanges subject to further welding or soldering. Making permanent joints by means of induction heating has proven to be the best solution in this context. However, several physical phenomena observed in the heating zone complicate any effort to control the process of making a permanent joint by induction heating; these phenomena include flux evaporation and changes in the emissivity of the material. These processes make it difficult to measure the temperature of the heating zone by means of contactless temperature sensors. Meanwhile, contact sensors are not an option due to the high requirements regarding surface quality. Besides, such sensors take a large amount of time and human involvement to install. Thus, it is a relevant undertaking to develop mathematical models for each waveguide assembly component as well as for the entire waveguide assembly. The proposed mathematical models have been tested by experiments in kind, which have shown a great degree of consistency between model-derived estimates and experimental data. The paper also shows how to use the proposed models to test and calibrate the process of making an aluminum-alloy rectangular tube flange waveguide by induction soldering. The Russian software, SimInTech, was used in this research as the modeling environment. The approach proposed herein can significantly lower the labor and material costs of calibrating and testing the process of the induction soldering of waveguides, whether the goal is to adjust the existing process or to implement a new configuration that uses different dimensions or materials.
Highlights
Modeling the process of induction soldering is one of the easier and more effective ways to improve the quality of process control, which helps to enhance the ultimate product.The authors in [1,2,3], describe how such modeling can be used for quality improvement in the photovoltaic industry
As mathematical models for heating assembly elements, which are used to work out the technological process of the induction soldering of thin-walled aluminum waveguide paths, we write the expression of the temperature field with a continuously operating stationary source (1): Z t x2
The goal of this work was to develop mathematical models of induction soldering for waveguide assembly components, which could help in testing and calibrating the induction soldering process for the thin-walled aluminum waveguides found in spacecraft
Summary
Modeling the process of induction soldering is one of the easier and more effective ways to improve the quality of process control, which helps to enhance the ultimate product.The authors in [1,2,3], describe how such modeling can be used for quality improvement in the photovoltaic industry. The authors of [1] present a multiphysical model of induction soldering for making modular solar panel systems. The model makes adjustments for deviations resulting from the specifics of materials in use. The authors in [2,3] use modeling to analyze the effects of cell cracking on the performance of solar cells. Their simulations show that cracks do not necessarily compromise the performance of photovoltaic modules. The authors in [4] present an induction heating model implemented in Cedrat Flux 10.3, a commercial package. The model has the advantage of being able to predict such parameters as current density and magnetic flux field inside a workpiece—these parameters are difficult to measure directly
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