Structural shock verification by numerical analysis of the EPD payload units on board Solar Orbiter spacecraft

Abstract

Electronic components can be seriously damaged during the launch of spacecraft due to the intense shock loads, which are generated by the launch operations such as the separations of the launcher stages and the release of the spacecraft. A shock verification program should be carried out in the development phase of space instruments to guarantee that the parts most susceptible to shock damage, including electronic components, can withstand the severe shock environment. A new shock verification methodology is described in this paper, where the novelty is the utilization of the numerical simulations to verify the capability of space instruments to withstand the specified shock loads. The proposed procedure has been applied to the units of the Energetic Particle Detector (EPD) payload of the Solar Orbiter mission. The selected approach is not the usual method in the space systems for shock verification, where the preferred method is by testing. Therefore, this work represents one of the few documented cases where numerical simulations have achieved the demonstration of the shock capability of space structures without the need to perform a complete shock test campaign. The application of the numerical analyses for the shock verification of one of the EPD units is explained in detail, where the calculated responses such as maximum expected stresses, accelerations and relative displacements are compared to the allowable limits to demonstrate that this instrument and its sensitive electronic components can adequately support the intense shock loads during the launch phase.