Modeling and analysis of a large deployable antenna structure

• A large deployable antenna structure is proposed.
• The assembly method from basic units to form large antenna structure is presented.
• The geometric method is used for structure design to best fit the parabolic surface.
• The parabolic surface constraints are considered in the form-finding strategy.
• Genetic algorithm is used to obtain the optimal tension in each cable.

One kind of large deployable antenna (LDA) structure is proposed by combining a number of basic deployable units in this paper. In order to avoid vibration caused by fast deployment speed of the mechanism, a braking system is used to control the spring-actuated system. Comparisons between the LDA structure and a similar structure used by the large deployable reflector (LDR) indicate that the former has potential for use in antennas with up to 30 m aperture due to its lighter weight. The LDA structure is designed to form a spherical surface found by the least square fitting method so that it can be symmetrical. In this case, the positions of the terminal points in the structure are determined by two principles. A method to calculate the cable network stretched on the LDA structure is developed, which combines the original force density method and the parabolic surface constraint. Genetic algorithm is applied to ensure that each cable reaches a desired tension, which avoids the non-convergence issue effectively. We find that the pattern for the front and rear cable net must be the same when finding the shape of the rear cable net, otherwise anticlastic surface would generate.