Mass, Volume and Natural Frequency Scaling of Deployable Mesh Reflectors

This study presents a general design methodology for deployable mesh reflectors of any aperture diameter, focal length, and operational radio frequency. The reflectors consist of two triangulated cable nets attached to a deployable perimeter truss and prestressed against each other. Scaling laws are derived for the reflector mass, stowed volume, and fundamental natural frequency of vibration. A comprehensive design study is conducted considering the geometry, structural design of the reflector components, and optimization of the prestress distribution for mass efficiency. The launch envelope is identified as the limiting factor in the design of deployable reflectors, for building large reflectors in space. The natural frequency of the designed reflector is evaluated for a range of aperture sizes using a high-fidelity finite element model, and the natural frequency scaling law is established. This study proposes a semi-analytical model for the mesh reflector based on the homogenization of the structural components, which performs with good accuracy while ensuring significantly less computational effort.