Thermal alternation induced vibration analysis of spacecraft with lateral solar arrays in orbit

Abstract

The rigid-flexible-thermal coupling dynamic analysis for a spacecraft in orbit is studied in this paper. The spacecraft consists of a central rigid platform and two groups of lateral solar arrays. There exists the relative motion between the rigid platform and solar arrays, thus the spacecraft is a multi-rigid-flexible bodies coupling system. As the spacecraft in orbit experience different light areas, alternations of the heat flux on solar arrays can result in changes of dynamic characteristics. Considering thermal stress effects of solar arrays, the dynamical model of the spacecraft is established by using Hamiltonian principle. Further, multi-rigid-flexible coupling modes of the system are obtained. The finite difference method is developed to obtained the responses of the spacecraft and the variation of temperature gradients under the different solar radiation. Results of natural characteristics illustrate that constrained modes can be used to discrete the system directly and efficiently. Modal shapes and parameters analysis reveal the rigid-flexible coupling effects of such spacecraft. The thermal-structural analysis demonstrates the thermal alternation may induce the vibration and even change the original vibration of the spacecraft.