Design of frameless SA deployed by centrifugal forces and its deployment mechanism as a basis of new technology of in-orbit power plant assembling
- Paper number
IAC-05-C2.P.01
- Author
Prof. Vitaly Melnikov, Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI), Russia
- Year
2005
- Abstract
The objective is pursued to develop the effective technology for automatic assembling of the orbital high power plant SA from a stowed configuration. A rationale is given to configurations of SA and its deployment mechanism. Development of space-based solar power stations producing 1GW is a rather vital task to counteract the energy crisis and stabilize weather. The design analysis shows that to deliver the SA segments to orbit would require several dozens of the heaviest carriers and to assemble the segments into a single structure would require developing the effective technology for the in-orbit integration of its individual segments launched in a stowed configuration. The frameless structures formed by centrifugal forces could make a basis for such a technology in combination with the technology for development of amorphous silicon film photovoltaic elements enabling to develop high efficiency solar arrays offering the important advantages against their framed analogs, such as: 10-fold increase in specific power comparing to the best analogs,not less than 1000 W/kg; the best transport configuration; reliable in-orbit automatic deployment with low power consumption; the lowest cost because the rigid frame is not needed and a 10-time reduction of the amorphous silicon structure cost against its analogs at mass production; lower radiation sensitivity. The highest power-mass characteristics can be achieved by utilizing a polymer backing 40-70 microns thick. But this is associated with the problem of using materials with different modules, such as the polymer backing and the glass-like photovoltaic element coating, as well as the problem of the polymer backing yield. To solve these two problems, assume that the solar arrays structure looks like a net made of high modulus material such as Kevlar and contains photovoltaic elements in its cells. So, in this way the SA primary structure could be made with the photovoltaic elements not completely loaded by any forces and with the total load from centrifugal forces reacted by the structural net . A special feature of the SA surface is a necessity in two-axes tension that is achieved in the optimized way on the solid circular sheet, as compared to a single axis tension attended by a tangential corrugation in the structure assembled of individual segments of the solar sail model deployed on 04.02.1993 during the space experiments "Znamya". For that reason a new deployment mechanism has been designed to combine individual segments into a single sheet in the process of deployment. To order and stabilize the deployment process two actuators are employed: rotation and deployment. The sheet deployment rate is set by the circular system of pulling rollers joined with one actuator. New technology phases: SA segments winded reels are delivered to orbit, mounted on the deployment mechanism by robots and, while passing through rollers of two adjacent segments, joined into a single sheet. The technology could be verified on smaller spacecraft and on the solar array intended for the Martian mission. The work has been performed with the support from the International Science and Technology Center, Project 2620.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-05-C2.P.01.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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