Novel thermally stable segmented solid paraboloid antenna for high surface accuracy

Wu, Zhangming ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7100-3282, Li, Hao and Li, Qi 2021. Novel thermally stable segmented solid paraboloid antenna for high surface accuracy. AIAA Journal 59 (11) , pp. 4669-4685. 10.2514/1.J060169

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Abstract

The rapidly growing communication demands in our society require the design of high-performance solid paraboloid antennas with extremely high surface accuracy, which remains a challenge due to the inevitable thermal deformations. This paper proposes a novel design of thermally stable segmented solid surface antenna with high surface accuracy. In this novel design, the antenna reflector is divided into a certain number of segmented pieces, each of which is then individually supported by an innovative thermally stable grid structure. An analytical model based on Sanders improved first-approximation shell theory is developed to predict the thermal deformation of antenna surface, with which the proposed segmenting method in improving the surface accuracy of reflector antenna is theoretically approved. The working mechanism of the proposed thermally stable grid structure that the thermal deformations at the supporting points can maintain a minimum level is verified using finite element analysis. A case study is performed in a practical environment to demonstrate that a segmented antenna supported by thermally stable grid structure can largely suppress the thermal deformation compared with a continuous surface antenna. This study provides a novel and useful engineering solution for paraboloid solid surface antennas to achieve extremely high surface accuracy under various thermal conditions.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Engineering
Subjects:	T Technology > TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
Publisher:	American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
ISSN:	0001-1452
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	7 December 2021
Date of Acceptance:	17 June 2021
Last Modified:	22 Nov 2024 00:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/145975

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