Tether Satellite System Collision Study

A study was performed to determine the probability of collision with resident space objects and untrackable debris for the tether component of the Tethered Satellite System (TSS) after it broke away from the Space Shuttle orbiter (mission STS-75) in February 1996. Both an analytical and a numerical approach were used in this study, and the results obtained with these two methods were found to be in good agreement. These results show that the deployed tether is expected to have been impacted by several particles 0.1mm or larger in size. The probability of collision with objects 10cm in size or larger was on the order of 10^–3 per month. Since the severed tether reentered within one month after deployment, the collision hazard to other objects while in orbit was small. The analytical methods used in this study are useful for tether collision evaluations in general.     

考虑摩擦的空间抓捕过程碰撞动力学分析与控制

目前针对空间抓捕中的碰撞进行建模的方法中很少考虑摩擦因素。然而,摩擦作为碰撞过程中不可避免的现象,对碰撞动力学响应及整个空间抓捕任务有着不容忽视的影响。文章结合库伦摩擦理论和拉格朗日乘子法,建立了同时兼顾滑动和粘滞状态的摩擦模型,然后将求解到的摩擦力与碰撞力进行矢量合成,作为对碰撞模型的修正。另外,针对碰撞过程对机器人姿态产生的干扰,利用反 馈线性化设计了解耦控制器对基座姿态漂移进行稳定控制。数值仿真采用一个平面2灢DOF空间机器人,利用动量和动量矩守恒定理验证了动力学模型的正确性,同时基座姿态控制结果收敛说明了控制器的有效性。     

Deorbiting with electrodynamic tethers: comparison between different tether configurations

Electrodynamic tethers have been recently proposed for satellite and rocket upper stage deorbiting to mitigate the debris problem at Low Earth Orbits (LEOs). The deorbiting performance of several electrodynamic tethers, where the electron collection from the ionosphere is obtained with either simple bare wires or bare wires terminated with conducting spherical collectors, was analyzed and compared. Our results indicate that the use of the spherical collectors at the positive termination of the system significantly enhances the deorbiting capabilities of the electrodynamic bare tethers.     

基于库伦摩擦效应的箔片轴承极限承载力理论与试验

基于有限单元法建立了考虑库伦摩擦的波箔型径向气体箔片轴承的箔片结构模型,采用有限差分法和有限单元法耦合求解Reynolds方程和气膜厚度方程,通过求解轴颈达到极限偏心率时的轴承极限承载力,研究了箔片结构库伦摩擦效应对轴承极限承载力的影响规律,并搭建了轴承极限承载力测试试验台,利用温度法测量了两个具有不同轴承壳内表面粗糙度的波箔型径向气体箔片轴承的轴承极限承载力.通过对比分析仿真结果与试验结果表明:轴承壳圆柱孔内表面粗糙度为0.4μm的轴承在10000r/min和20000r/min下,轴承极限承载力分别为15.5N和42.3N;而表面粗糙度为1.6μm的轴承极限承载力为10.9N和29.6N,这是由于波纹箔片和轴承壳体之间的库伦摩擦力增大了波纹箔片的刚度,因此增大箔片结构摩擦因数使得轴承极限承载力降低,并且仿真结果变化趋势和试验结果变化趋势吻合.      

Multi-Sphere Method for modeling spacecraft electrostatic forces and torques

The use of electrostatic (Coulomb) actuation for formation flying is attractive because non-renewable fuel reserves are not depleted and plume impingement issues are avoided. Prior analytical electrostatic force models used for Coulomb formations assume spherical spacecraft shapes, which include mutual capacitance and induced effects. However, this framework does not capture any orientation-dependent forces or torques on generic spacecraft geometries encountered during very close operations and docking scenarios. The Multi-Sphere Method (MSM) uses a collection of finite spheres to represent a complex shape and analytically approximate the Coulomb interaction with other charged bodies. Finite element analysis software is used as a truth model to determine the optimal sphere locations and radii. The model is robust to varying system parameters such as prescribed voltages and external shape size. Using the MSM, faster-than-realtime electrostatic simulation of six degree of freedom relative spacecraft motion is feasible, which is crucial for the development of robust relative position and orientation control algorithms in local space situational awareness applications. To demonstrate this ability, the rotation of a cylindrical craft in deep space is simulated, while charge control from a neighboring spacecraft is used to de-spin the object. Using a 1 m diameter craft separated by 10 m from a 3 by 1 m cylindrical craft in deep space, a 2 °/s initial rotation rate can be removed from the cylinder within 3 days, using electric potentials up to 30 kV.     

Periodic relative orbits of two spacecraft subject to differential gravity and electrostatic forcing

Coulomb forces between charged close-flying satellites can be used for formation control, and constant electric potentials enable static equilibria solutions. In this work, open-loop time-varying potential functions, which produce periodic, two-craft, Coulomb formation motions are demonstrated for the first time. This is done in the rotating Hill-Frame, with linearized gravity, and craft position components assumed in the form of simple harmonic oscillators. Substitution of the oscillatory functions into the dynamics, further constrains these functions, and yields necessary potential histories, to produce the periodic flow. The assumed position functions, however, are not arbitrary, since the dynamical model restricts what oscillatory trajectories are allowed. Specifically, a Hill-Frame integral of motion is derived, and this is used to show certain candidate periodic functions to be inadmissible. The system dynamics are then linearized to expose stability properties of the solutions, and it is established that asymptotic stability is impossible for all orbit families. Finally, the degree of instability in the assumed motions, over free parameter ranges, is determined numerically via the Floquet multipliers of the associated full-cycle state-transition matrices.     

基于非线性摩擦模型参数观测器的自适应摩擦补偿方法的研究

通过摩擦补偿的分析提出了一种基于非线性摩擦模型参数观测器的自适应摩擦补偿方法,从工程实用角度出发采用的是库仑加粘滞的摩擦模型,设计了两个观测器实现对库仑摩擦系数和粘滞摩擦系数的估计,并用MATLAB软件对转台工作状态进行了仿真,结果表明此观测器有良好的自适应补偿性能。     

Effective Coulomb force modeling for spacecraft in Earth orbit plasmas

Coulomb formation flight is a concept that utilizes electrostatic forces to control the separations of close proximity spacecraft. The Coulomb force between charged bodies is a product of their size, separation, potential and interaction with the local plasma environment. A fast and accurate analytic method of capturing the interaction of a charged body in a plasma is shown. The Debye–Hückel analytic model of the electrostatic field about a charged sphere in a plasma is expanded to analytically compute the forces. This model is fitted to numerical simulations with representative geosynchronous and low Earth orbit (GEO and LEO) plasma environments using an effective Debye length. This effective Debye length, which more accurately captures the charge partial shielding, can be up to 7 times larger at GEO, and as great as 100 times larger at LEO. The force between a sphere and point charge is accurately captured with the effective Debye length, as opposed to the electron Debye length solutions that have errors exceeding 50%. One notable finding is that the effective Debye lengths in LEO plasmas about a charged body are increased from centimeters to meters. This is a promising outcome, as the reduced shielding at increased potentials provides sufficient force levels for operating the electrostatically inflated membrane structures concept at these dense plasma altitudes.     

二自由度扭转干摩擦系统的频域响应计算方法

针对一类作扭转振动的干摩擦系统,基于库仑阻尼模型和谐波平衡思想给出了其频域响应的求解方法,考虑了干摩擦界面上可能出现的周期内全滑移运动及阻滞-滑移运动.首先,建立了扭转干摩擦系统的二自由度集中质量模型,并进行了无量纲化.其次,建立了以谐波平衡思想处理该动力学模型的方法,并给出了系统的接触面作周期内全滑移运动及阻滞-滑移运动的判定条件.最后,对于这两种接触运动状态,分别给出了其摩擦力的处理方法和谐波展开形式,从而建立了扭转干摩擦系统的频域求解方法.以此方法计算了系统在一组不同的正压力下的响应,其结果与数值积分法所得的结果取得了相当的一致.此半解析方法较数值积分方法更能揭示扭转干摩擦系统的工作机理,并可以大幅提高计算时间,其推导和求解过程可用于类似的非线性系统.      

箔片结构库伦摩擦效应对径向箔片轴承特性的影响

基于有限元法建立波箔型气体径向轴承箔片结构的库伦摩擦模型,通过改变平箔片与波纹箔片之间以及波纹箔片与轴承座之间的摩擦因数,对比分析了在各种载荷分布条件下波纹箔片库伦摩擦模型与文献中线性弹簧模型的刚度特性,研究了库伦摩擦效应对波纹箔片刚度特性的影响规律.在此基础上,运用有限单元法和有限差分法求解雷诺方程和气膜厚度方程,研究了在两个工作转速下气体波箔片轴承中截面处最小气膜厚度随轴承承载力的变化规律以及承载力随偏心率的变化规律.通过数值仿真对该模型、文献中线性弹簧模型和刚性表面气体轴承进行对比分析,并把气膜厚度分布与文献结果进行了对比.结果表明:箔片的库伦摩擦力在一定程度上增大了波纹箔片的刚度,并且随着摩擦因数的增大其刚度以及两端固定的波纹箔片个数也增加,使得箔片轴承表面变“刚”,因此轴承静特性更趋于刚性表面轴承,此外当轴承承载力一定时,箔片摩擦因数越大轴承的最小气膜厚度越小.