For the design of space structures, the dynamic coupling between equipment and the satellite (or between a satellite and the launcher) is usually avoided due to negative effects like high stresses produced by structural resonance. The usual procedure to assure the dynamic decoupling is by limiting the minimum value of natural frequency of the secondary structure to a value high enough above the main natural frequencies of the main structure. However, in some spacecraft configurations, it is unavoidable that some parts or equipment present natural frequencies close to the main natural frequencies of the spacecraft because these parts may be massive or may have a special interface design with low stiffness. This dynamic coupling provokes modifications on the modal behavior of the satellite, which can lead to a significant decrease in the first natural frequency of the entire satellite. To analyze this phenomenon, a representative but simple mathematical model is studied to evaluate the influence of the design parameters of space structures. Analytical expressions are obtained that can help to highlight the influence of the parameters. The results are demonstrated with the example of the UPMSat-2 satellite design.
The definition of Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) models for large complex structures is highly conditioned by the classification of the structure elements into a set of coupled subsystems and the subsequent determination of the loss factors representing both the internal damping and the coupling between subsystems. The accurate definition of the complete system can lead to excessively large models as the size and complexity increases. This fact can also rise practical issues for the experimental determination of the loss factors. This work presents a formulation of reduced SEA models for incomplete systems defined by a set of effective loss factors. This reduced SEA model provides a feasible number of subsystems for the application of the Power Injection Method (PIM). For structures of high complexity, their components accessibility can be restricted, for instance internal equipments or panels. For these cases the use of PIM to carry out an experimental SEA analysis is not possible. New methods are presented for this case in combination with the reduced SEA models. These methods allow defining some of the model loss factors that could not be obtained through PIM. The methods are validated with a numerical analysis case and they are also applied to an actual spacecraft structure with accessibility restrictions: a solar wing in folded configuration.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.