MODELLING AND SIMULATION OF THE KINEMATIC BEHAVIOUR OF THE DEPLOYMENT
MECHANISM OF SOLAR ARRAY FOR A 1-U CUBESAT
Abstract
Cubesats have transcended mere demonstration systems to sophisticated
missions which invariably require the use of deployable solar arrays for
more power generation. The kinematics of deployment have considerable
influence on the stability and attitude control of a satellite,
especially one with such low mass as Cubesats. This work aimed to model
and simulate two-wing deployable solar array, with a sun tracking tilt
function for a 1-U CubeSat, with emphasis on the deployment mechanism
using materials locally available in the country. The design is such
that four panels attached to two wings hinged at Y and – Y directions
deploy slowly and smoothly at approximately 2 seconds where the
vibration decays exponentially and approaches zero. The model of all
parts, as well as the computational analysis were done with SOLIDWORKS
software. The system was tested for vibration and stability using the
seismic mass-spring-and-damper arrangement and the Bond Graph technique
was used to conduct kinematic analysis of the mechanism. A 3-D printing
was generated and tested to evaluate its operational performance. The
simulated results of the model were validated with the prototype outputs
with an error of 0.03% in energy supply reliability, about 400% more
power generated than the body mounted solar panels of same satellite
specification without a significant impact on system strength and
Stability.