The method to realize the performance of FAST reflector unit

Abstract

The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) project locates in the mountainous region of Guizhou Province, China. Due to the huge scale of the project and the precise observation performance requirements of the telescope, the reflector unit is required to have characteristics of small quality and high precision. Due to the high humidity on the site, it is necessary to ensure that the reflective surface unit has good anti-corrosion properties. This article studies how to solve the problem of the structural performance of the reflective surface unit and its implementation method. Based on the research in this paper, the error of the surface accuracy of the reflecting surface unit is less than 2.5 mm, and the central deflection of the block constituting the unit is less than 1 mm. In addition, this type of unit has good anti-corrosion properties. This paper also proposes the method of accuracy assurance in the construction process. In the end, the research results were successfully applied to the FAST project.