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Rectangular solar sail flutter

Publication ,  Journal Article
Gibbs, SC; Guerrant, DV; Wilkie, WK; Dowell, EH
Published in: 54th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference
August 2, 2013

Solar sail spacecraft have been proposed for extended timescale missions because of the spacecraft's ability to generate continuous propellant-less thrust. Due in part to the recent success of the JAXA IKAROS (Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by the Radiation of the Sun) solar sail spacecraft, there has been a renewed interest in solar sail technology. One of the design challenges facing potential solar sailors is the dynamic stability of the large membrane structures required for solar sailing. Of specific interest is the membrane structural dynamics and the coupling between the structural dynamics and the solar radiation force. This paper explores the coupling between a hanging membrane structure in a gravitational field and solar radiation pressure that is labeled a solarelastic coupling. The gravitationally tensioned membrane is modeled with a classical linear Rayleigh Ritz beam model and the solar radiation pressure is modeled for a perfectly reflective structure. The influence of a gravitational field is included in the structural model to explore the feasibility of designing an experiment to re-create a solarelastic instability on earth. Finally there is a discussion of the ground vibration experiments that have been conducted to validate the structural model.

Duke Scholars

Published In

54th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference

DOI

Publication Date

August 2, 2013
 

Citation

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Gibbs, S. C., Guerrant, D. V., Wilkie, W. K., & Dowell, E. H. (2013). Rectangular solar sail flutter. 54th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference. https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2013-1945
Gibbs, S. C., D. V. Guerrant, W. K. Wilkie, and E. H. Dowell. “Rectangular solar sail flutter.” 54th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference, August 2, 2013. https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2013-1945.
Gibbs SC, Guerrant DV, Wilkie WK, Dowell EH. Rectangular solar sail flutter. 54th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference. 2013 Aug 2;
Gibbs, S. C., et al. “Rectangular solar sail flutter.” 54th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference, Aug. 2013. Scopus, doi:10.2514/6.2013-1945.
Gibbs SC, Guerrant DV, Wilkie WK, Dowell EH. Rectangular solar sail flutter. 54th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference. 2013 Aug 2;

Published In

54th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference

DOI

Publication Date

August 2, 2013