Xingwen Du

Numerical Simulation for Deployment Dynamics of Lightweight Inflatable Solar Array

The lightweight inflatable solar array is a new kind of solar array deployed by its inflatable booms. The researches on solar arrays were concisely reviewed, and then a model of segmented inflatable control volume for inflatable booms was presented. The deployment dynamics of the Z-folded inflatable solar array was simulated by a finite element method for the space environment when deployment of the booms was free and constrained in axial direction. Variations of the gas pressure in the booms and the deployment dynamic characteristics of the upper support were analyzed as well as the out-of-plane oscillates of array blankets at a slow and high inflation rate. Contact impact between the booms and the array blankets of the solar array was predicted; moreover, this simulation was validated by a suspended deployment test and the literature. The results show that the calculation can predict the deployment dynamics of the lightweight inflatable solar array in the space.