Transient thermal analysis of thin-walled space structures with material uncertainties subjected to solar heat flux

The effect of material uncertainties on thermal behavior of space structure is crucial in structural health monitoring where high accuracy modeling is demanded. This research presents a sensitivity based interval finite element method (SIFEM) for transient thermal analysis of thin-walled space structure with material uncertainties subjected to solar heat flux. In this paper, interval variables are employed to describe material uncertainties under poor information situation. Thermal equilibrium equation considering heat radiation and material uncertainties is derived based on interval mathematics and Fourier finite element. Algorithm of SIFEM is designed for numerical solution of the thermal equilibrium equation. The validity of SIFEM is demonstrated by comparing with Monte Carlo simulation and probabilistic method. Numerical results suggest the computational efficiency of SIFEM is improved by three orders of magnitude comparing with Monte Carlo simulation. As the application of the proposed method, an engineering example is investigated and the effect of material uncertainties on transient temperature field is discussed in detail. Numerical results provide better guidance for the design of thin-walled space structures.