Design and Optimisation of Passive Damping Mechanisms for Solar Array Deployment
Authors
Christiansen, Rasmus ; Mendes Freire, Tiago Miguel
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2026
Submitted on
2026-05-29
Abstract
This project builds on earlier studies of how to control the motion of solar array deployment systems on spacecraft. The aim is to develop and evaluate damper concepts that can remove enough energy from the motion to ensure that solar panels unfold in a controlled way, without sudden or damaging movements. The work first examines viscoelastic damping. Two space-qualified elastomer materials (rubber-like materials) are used to study creep-induced deformation, meaning how they slowly deform over time and thereby dissipate energy. The analysis shows that viscoelastic damping is not suitable for use in space when the temperature cannot be controlled, because its damping performance is highly dependent on temperature. A new damping concept is then developed that combines elastic deformation (the material bends or stretches but returns to its original shape) with frictional dissipation (energy is lost when surfaces slide against each other). This concept is optimised, leading to four promising candidate designs. However, finite element contact simulations of the optimised designs suffered from convergence problems, so they could not provide reliable values for frictional energy dissipation in those cases. Instead, the underlying simulation method is validated using representative, non-optimised designs. For these, the numerical results show strong agreement between analytical calculations and finite element simulations. This agreement supports the soundness of the proposed approach and indicates that damping based on deformation and friction is a potentially feasible solution for solar array deployment in space. Future work includes improving numerical contact modelling, experimentally testing the proposed concepts, and developing a general design framework for friction- and deformation-based hinge dampers.
Dette projekt bygger videre på tidligere undersøgelser af, hvordan man kan dæmpe bevægelsen i systemer, der folder solpaneler ud på satellitter. Målet er at udvikle og vurdere dæmperløsninger, der kan fjerne nok energi fra bevægelsen til, at solpanelerne folder sig kontrolleret og uden skadelige ryk. Først undersøges viskoelastisk dæmpning. Her bruges to rumkvalificerede elastomermaterialer (gummilignende materialer), og man analyserer, hvordan de langsomt deformeres over tid (kryb) og dermed dæmper bevægelsen. Resultaterne viser, at viskoelastisk dæmpning ikke er egnet til brug i rummet, når temperaturen ikke er kontrolleret, fordi materialernes dæmpningsevne ændrer sig meget med temperaturen. Dernæst udvikles et nyt dæmperkoncept, der i stedet kombinerer elastisk deformation (materialet bøjes eller strækkes, men vender tilbage til sin form) og friktionsbaseret energitab (energi tabes, når overflader gnider mod hinanden). Konceptet optimeres, så man ender med fire lovende designkandidater. Det viste sig vanskeligt at få de numeriske kontaktmodeller i finite element-simuleringer til at konvergere for de optimerede design, så de kunne ikke give pålidelige tal for friktionsdæmpningen i netop disse tilfælde. Metoden bag simuleringerne testes derfor i stedet på repræsentative, men ikke-optimerede design. Her viser resultaterne en tæt overensstemmelse mellem simple analytiske beregninger og detaljerede finite element-simuleringer. Denne overensstemmelse bekræfter, at den foreslåede tilgang er fagligt holdbar og peger på, at dæmpere baseret på deformation og friktion kan være en realistisk løsning til udfoldning af solpaneler i rummet. Fremtidigt arbejde omfatter mere avanceret kontaktmodellering i simuleringerne, eksperimentelle tests af de foreslåede koncepter og udvikling af en generel designmetode til hængseldæmpere baseret på friktion og deformation.
[This abstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
Keywords