Satellite multi-functional power structure: Feasibility and mass savings

Abstract

A multi-functional structure saves mass from a spacecraft by incorporating other functional subsystems into the structure. By using the structural properties of a non-structural element, inert structure may be eliminated, and the requirement to allot internal volume to the subsystem in question is removed. The current paper describes a multi-functional structure based on the secondary power system. By using commercially available plastic lithium-ion cells to form the core of a sandwich panel, inert mass is eliminated from both the structure and from the battery enclosure. The feasibility of the proposed multi-functional structure is demonstrated though vibration testing on a single cell, and the successful manufacture of a test panel. The work goes on to quantify the potential mass savings that may be achieved by using a multi-functional structure of this type. By varying a set of spacecraft attributes, the study identifies that small spacecraft with high power requirements have the potential to gain the most benefit from using a multi-functional structure of this type. © IMechE 2008

Strategies for Thermal Control of a Multifunctional Power Structure Solar Array

“…In general terms, the panel is a sandwich panel that is composed of a facesheet and a core, with a battery embedded in the core, and solar cells on one face, as proposed by Roberts and Aglietti (2008), see Fig. 1.…”

“…For a level of redundancy (to address degradation with age and faults), 900 batteries are used to give 1 kWhr of capacity. Roberts and Aglietti (2008) have defined the savings from using MFPS, however the spacecraft is undefined and thus calculation of the specific energy requirement is difficult. However, assuming the spacecraft is 250 kg, 500 kg, or 1000 kg, gives specific energy requirements of 4, 2, and 1.…”

“…A further mass savings can be achieved if the powerstorage material directly carries structural loads, allowing a reduction in the required structure. A qualitative analysis of these benefits has been performed by Roberts and Aglietti (2008).…”

“…Thus, the second implementation is a COTS MFPS, as proposed by Roberts and Aglietti (2008). It consists of polymer lithium ion (PLI) (Ilic et al 2004) cells embedded into the honeycomb core of a sandwich panel, reducing optimization but lowering cost.…”

Structural responses of all-composite improved-pyramidal truss sandwich cores

“…The interest for structural miniaturization, modularization, integration and lightweight multi-function has grown rapidly in various fields over the last decade, especially in aeronautics and astronautics field with strong desires of weight loss, volume constraint and multifunctional integration [1][2][3]. Therefore, cellular materials, such as metallic foams and honeycombs, have been widely developed and applied due to numerous potential advantages.…”