Performance and Scaling Metrics for Launch Vibration of Coiled Space Structures with Embedded Friction Damping

This paper studies the performance of a friction damping scheme that uses a pre-tensioned, wound coil that allows interlayer slip during vibration in the context of launch vibrations for spacecraft with practical geometries and properties. A finite-element simulation is used to study the vibration response of a coil wound around a mandrel, supported in a base-fixed configuration. The simulation focuses on material properties and geometries relevant to coiled structures used in space applications. The viability of this concept in realistic contexts is demonstrated using damping ratios and resonant frequencies extracted from the simulated data for each configuration.