Experimental Verification of Thermal Structural Responses of a Flexible Rolled-Up Solar Array

Abstract

This study aims to verify an established study on the theoretical analysis of the thermal structural response of a flexible space structure through comparison with the experimental analysis results using an experimental configuration of a reduced asymmetric solar array model. The solar array model is composed of a blanket, two flexible booms and a rigid spreader bar. To reproduce the thermal structural response of a solar array model subjected to solar heat flux in space, the experiment is executed inside a vacuum chamber. The experimental results are analyzed by measuring the boom tip deflection, and are compared with theoretical analysis results under various experimental conditions. The theoretical results are obtained using quasi-static and dynamic response analyses. Through the comparison with experimental results, we are able to quantitatively and qualitatively verify the quasi-static response, and quantitatively verify the dynamic response.