TY - GEN
T1 - Design of a morphing skin using flexible fiber composites for space-reconfigurable reflectors
AU - Datashvili, Leri
AU - Baier, Horst
AU - Wei, Bin
AU - Endler, Stephan
AU - Schreider, Ludovic
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - A number of aerospace structural applications with intended shape variation require different kinds of morphing skins for fulfillment of diverse requirements. An example of such a morphing skin application is a space-reconfigurable reflector antenna of a telecommunication satellite. Reconfigurable reflectors can replace the typical configuration of several shaped reflectors and satellites with a single reflector and, thereby, enhance coverage performance to several needed areas of the Earth during a single lifetime in orbit. Thus, their application promises huge cost savings. Design of the reflector morphing skin, being a focus of the paper, is a challenging task because besides the ability to morph they have to satisfy mechanical and radio frequency stringent requirements. Material selection, tailoring of the material properties based on numerical and experimental studies, improving radio frequency characteristics and deriving the potential concept of the mechanically reconfigurable reflector are addressed in the paper. Reshaping performance is discussed based on comparison of target and achieved shapes. Final achieved shapes are acquired with an established optimization procedure coupling RF and structural behaviors.
AB - A number of aerospace structural applications with intended shape variation require different kinds of morphing skins for fulfillment of diverse requirements. An example of such a morphing skin application is a space-reconfigurable reflector antenna of a telecommunication satellite. Reconfigurable reflectors can replace the typical configuration of several shaped reflectors and satellites with a single reflector and, thereby, enhance coverage performance to several needed areas of the Earth during a single lifetime in orbit. Thus, their application promises huge cost savings. Design of the reflector morphing skin, being a focus of the paper, is a challenging task because besides the ability to morph they have to satisfy mechanical and radio frequency stringent requirements. Material selection, tailoring of the material properties based on numerical and experimental studies, improving radio frequency characteristics and deriving the potential concept of the mechanically reconfigurable reflector are addressed in the paper. Reshaping performance is discussed based on comparison of target and achieved shapes. Final achieved shapes are acquired with an established optimization procedure coupling RF and structural behaviors.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84880814680&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2514/6.2013-1522
DO - 10.2514/6.2013-1522
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84880814680
SN - 9781624102233
T3 - 54th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference
BT - 54th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics and Materials Conference
T2 - 54th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics and Materials Conference
Y2 - 8 April 2013 through 11 April 2013
ER -