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Advances in Aircraft and Spacecraft Science Volume 10, Number 3, May 2023 , pages 223-243 DOI: https://doi.org/10.12989/aas.2023.10.3.223 |
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Effect of perforation patterns on the fundamental natural frequency of microsatellite structure |
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Ahmad M. Baiomy, M. Kassab, B.M. El-Sehily and R.M. El-Kady
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| Abstract | ||
| There is a burgeoning demand for minimizing the mass of satellites because of its direct impact on reducing launch-to-orbit cost. This must be done without compromising the structure's efficiency. The present paper introduces a relatively low-cost and easily implementable approach for optimizing structural mass to a maximum natural frequency. The natural frequencies of the satellite are of utmost pertinence to the application requirements, as the sensitive electronic instrumentation and onboard computers should not be affected by the vibrations of the satellite structure. This methodology is applied to a realistic model of Al-Azhar University micro-satellite in partnership with the Egyptian Space Agency. The procedure used in structural design can be summarized in two steps. The first step is to select the most favorable primary structural configuration among several different candidate variants. The nominated variant is selected as the one scoring maximum relative dynamic stiffness. The second step is to use perforation patterns reduce the overall mass of structural elements in the selected variant without changing the weight. The results of the presented procedure demonstrate that the mass reduction percentage was found to be 39% when compared to the unperforated configuration that had the same plate thickness. The findings of this study challenge the commonly accepted notion that isogrid perforations are the most effective means of achieving the goal of reducing mass while maintaining stiffness. Rather, the study highlights the potential benefits of exploring a wider range of perforation unit cells during the design process. The study revealed that rectangular perforation patterns had the lowest efficiency in terms of modal stiffness, while triangular patterns resulted in the highest efficiency. These results suggest that there may be significant gains to be made by considering a broader range of perforation shapes and configurations in the design of lightweight structures. | ||
| Key Words | ||
| design optimization; finite element analysis; microsatellite; modal analysis; structural design | ||
| Address | ||
| Ahmad M. Baiomy: Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Al Aazhar University, Cairo, Egypt; Egyptian Space Agency, Cairo, Egypt M. Kassab: Egyptian Space Agency, Cairo, Egypt B.M. El-Sehily and R.M. El-Kady: Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Al Aazhar University, Cairo, Egypt | ||
