Study on the eddy current damping of the spin dynamics of space debris from the Ariane launcher upper stages

Praly, Nicolas; Hillion, M.; Bonnal, Christophe; Laurent-Varin, Julien; Petit, Nicolas

doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2012.03.004

Cited by 49 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The fact that it is unpractical to solve the Neumann problem at each time step is already shown in previous articles (Smith, 1962;Ormsby, 1967;Praly et al, 2012), where specific formulae were obtained for the eddy current torque in some particular cases. As it will be proved in this section, the torque can be expressed in a general way by means of a tensor which will be called the 'Magnetic Tensor' M .…”

Section: The Magnetic Tensormentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The rotation speed varies from 0.8 deg/sec up to 180 deg/sec. The work published by Praly et al (Praly et al, 2012) on Ariane upper stages state that the expected rotational rates lie between 37.5 deg/sec and 60 deg/sec.…”

Section: Case Study: Ariane H10 Upper Stagementioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is the case of typical metallic materials used on spacecraft such as aluminum or titanium. The equations that describe this phenomenon are (Landau & Lifshitz, 1984;Praly et al, 2012):…”

Section: Eddy Currents Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Introducing solution (7) in the continuity Equation (2) and the boundary conditions (4), the following Poisson equation with Neumann conditions is obtained for φ (Praly et al, 2012):…”

Section: Eddy Currents Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Eddy currents applied to de-tumbling of space debris: Analysis and validation of approximate proposed methods

Gómez

Walker

2015

Acta Astronautica

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The space debris population has greatly increased over the last few decades. Active debris removal (ADR) methods may become necessary to remove those objects in orbit that pose the biggest collision risk. Those ADR methods that require contact with the target, show complications if the target is rotating at high speeds. Observed rotations can be higher than 60 deg/s combined with precession and nutation motions. "Natural" rotational damping in upper stages has been observed for some space debris objects. This phenomenon occurs due to the eddy currents induced by the Earth's magnetic field in the predominantly conductive materials of these man made rotating objects. Existing solutions for the analysis of eddy currents require time-consuming finite element models to solve a Poisson equation throughout the volume. The first part of this paper presents a new method to compute the eddy current torque based on the computation of a new tensor called the 'Magnetic Tensor'. The general theory to compute this tensor by Finite Element Method is given as well as a particular Frame Model. This last model enables an explicit formula to be determined to evaluate the magnetic tensor. Analytical solutions for the spherical shell, the open cylinder and flat plates are given for the magnetic tensor and the eddy current torque model is validated with existing published work. The second part of the paper presents an active de-tumbling method for space debris objects based on eddy currents. The braking method that is proposed has the advantage of avoiding any kind of mechanical contact with the target. The space debris object is subjected to an enhanced magnetic field created from a chaser spacecraft which has one or more deployable structures with an electromagnetic coil at its end. The braking time and the possible induced precession is analysed for a metallic spherical shell considering different ratios of conductive vs. non-conductive material. The paper finalises with a case study based on the de-tumbling of an Ariane-4 Upper Stage H10 under the effect of the gravity gradient and a preliminary analysis of the non-uniformity of the magnetic field is presented.

show abstract

Section: The Magnetic Tensormentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Case Study: Ariane H10 Upper Stagementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Eddy Currents Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Introducing solution (7) in the continuity Equation (2) and the boundary conditions (4), the following Poisson equation with Neumann conditions is obtained for φ (Praly et al, 2012):…”

Section: Eddy Currents Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Eddy currents applied to de-tumbling of space debris: Analysis and validation of approximate proposed methods

Gómez

Walker

2015

Acta Astronautica

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The present article focuses on two of the most important perturbations that affect the rotational dynamics of space debris objects in LEO: the Earth's gravity gradient and the eddy currents induced by the Earth's magnetic field (Ojakangas et al, 2012;Praly et al, 2012). The torques induced by these perturbations will depend on the physical properties of the spacecraft.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Earth’s gravity gradient and eddy currents effects on the rotational dynamics of space debris objects: Envisat case study

Gómez

Walker

2015

Advances in Space Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Space Debris population has grown rapidly over the last few decades with the consequent growth of impact risk between current objects in orbit. Active Debris Removal (ADR) has been recommended to be put into practice by several National Agencies in order to remove objects that pose the biggest risk for the space community. The most immediate target that is being considered for ADR by the European Space Agency is the Earth-observing satellite Envisat. In order to safely remove such a massive object from its orbit, a capturing process followed by a controlled reentry is necessary. However, current ADR methods that require physical contact with the target have limitations on the maximum angular momentum that can be absorbed and a de-tumbling phase prior to the capturing process may be required. Therefore, it is of utmost importance for the ADR mission design to be able to predict accurately how the target will be rotating at the time of capture. This article analyses two perturbations that affect an object in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), the Earth's gravity gradient and the eddy currents induced by the Earth's magnetic field. The gravity gradient is analysed using the equation of conservation of total energy and a graphical method is presented to understand the expected behaviour of any object under the effect of this perturbation. The eddy currents are also analysed by studying the total energy of the system. The induced torque and the characteristic time of decay are presented as a function of the object's magnetic tensor. In addition, simulations were carried out for the Envisat spacecraft including the gravity gradient perturbation as well as the eddy currents effect using the International Geomagnetic Reference Field IGRF-11 to model the Earth's magnetic field. These simulations show that the combined effect of these two perturbations is a plausible explanation for the rotational speed decay

show abstract

Formation Flying Guidance for Space Debris Observation, Manipulation and Capture

Peters

2016

Astrodynamics Network AstroNet-II

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Study on the eddy current damping of the spin dynamics of space debris from the Ariane launcher upper stages

Cited by 49 publications

References 4 publications

Eddy currents applied to de-tumbling of space debris: Analysis and validation of approximate proposed methods

Eddy currents applied to de-tumbling of space debris: Analysis and validation of approximate proposed methods

Earth’s gravity gradient and eddy currents effects on the rotational dynamics of space debris objects: Envisat case study

Formation Flying Guidance for Space Debris Observation, Manipulation and Capture

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About