A satellite vibration reduction device based on a vibration absorption plate and a crab claw truss configuration

Abstract

The application provides a whole-satellite vibration reduction device based on a vibration absorption plate and a crab claw truss structure, which is composed of a bottom plate, a crab claw truss and a vibration absorption plate. The crab claw truss is connected with light-weight joints through hollow carbon fiber square tubes (containing inclined upper rods, horizontal rods, vertical rods and the like), and bears a 100L large-capacity storage tank through a storage tank flange. The vibration absorption plate is connected with the inclined upper rods of the truss through a single-point connection of an in-plate embedded part and a connection joint in a non-stiffener structure of a 20mm-thick honeycomb plate and a 0.3mm aluminum skin, forms a minimum rigidity point in the axial direction of the storage tank, and concentrates the absorption of sinusoidal vibration energy through the "drum skin effect". The bottom plate serves as a basic support and is rigidly connected with the main load-bearing rods of the truss through joints to ensure the stability of mechanical conduction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the aerospace field, and more particularly to a whole-satellite vibration reduction device based on a vibration-absorbing plate and a crab claw truss structure. Background Technology

[0002] In the aerospace field, the load-bearing structure design of satellite large propellant tanks is crucial. Currently, the main load-bearing structures for individual large propellant tanks include cylindrical, box-plate, and truss-type main load-bearing structures. However, these existing structures all have significant shortcomings and are difficult to meet the stringent requirements of modern satellites in terms of space utilization, structural weight, stiffness, and stability.

[0003] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a load-bearing cylindrical tank configuration in the prior art is shown. While the load-bearing cylindrical main load-bearing structure has strong load-bearing capacity, it suffers from low space utilization and extremely difficult layout of individual equipment, making it particularly unsuitable for small satellites with large volumes. For example, in small satellites that need to carry multiple devices, the limited internal space of the load-bearing cylindrical structure severely restricts the rational installation and layout of the equipment, resulting in complex and cumbersome cable connections between devices, increasing the difficulty and cost of the overall satellite design.

[0004] Figure 2 This diagram illustrates a conventional box-type large storage tank load-bearing configuration. While box-type main load-bearing structures offer high space utilization and facilitate the installation layout of individual equipment, their excessive weight makes them unsuitable for satellites with high launch quality requirements. During satellite launch, increased weight directly leads to higher launch costs, and excessive structural weight also affects the overall performance and lifespan of the satellite. For example, the application of box-type structures is severely limited in some satellite missions with strict launch quality constraints.

[0005] Figure 3 The diagram illustrates a truss-type large propellant tank load-bearing configuration in the prior art. While truss-type main load-bearing structures offer strong spatial load-bearing capacity and a low mass proportion, their overall stiffness and stability are poor, easily leading to excessive response in the large propellant tank. For example, when a satellite experiences the harsh mechanical environment of rocket ascent, the low stiffness and stability of the truss structure can cause significant displacement and vibration of the propellant tank, resulting in structural damage and affecting the normal operation of the satellite.

[0006] In summary, existing large satellite tank load-bearing structures have many shortcomings in practical applications, and there is an urgent need for a new type of load-bearing structure design that can take into account multiple aspects such as space utilization, structural weight, stiffness and stability, in order to meet the ever-increasing demands of the aerospace field for satellite performance. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This invention addresses the challenges of high mechanical response requirements for a 100L propellant tank, small satellite size envelope, low structural mass ratio, and numerous internal components. It proposes a satellite configuration combining vibration-absorbing plates and a crab-claw truss. The main satellite structure is composed of a crab-claw truss, resulting in a low overall truss mass ratio, minimal space utilization, and convenient internal component layout. The square truss surface provides cable routing paths for individual components, significantly shortening the routing path compared to load-bearing cylinder and box-plate designs, thus reducing cable length and performance degradation during cable use. Vibration-absorbing plates reduce stiffness and decouple from the crab-claw truss, creating a drum-like effect that concentrates and dissipates the overall satellite's energy onto the vibration-absorbing plates, thereby reducing propellant tank response.

[0008] This invention provides a whole-plane vibration reduction device based on a vibration-absorbing plate and a crab claw truss structure, characterized in that it comprises: The base plate is used to support the square truss and is equipped with storage tanks; A square truss, comprising four crab-claw trusses and a tank flange for securing the tank, wherein the crab-claw trusses are decoupled from the vibration-absorbing plates; and Vibration-absorbing plates, mounted on a square truss, are used for vibration reduction of the storage tank, wherein the vibration-absorbing plates are configured at the lowest point of rigidity.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, the four crab claw-shaped trusses of the square truss are disposed at the four corners of the base plate, and the crab claw trusses include: Four hollow square tubes, including an upper inclined rod, a horizontal rod, a vertical rod, a lower inclined rod, and a support leg, wherein the hollow square tubes do not directly contact the vibration-absorbing plate; Four connecting joints, including the tank connecting joint, the inclined upper rod connecting joint, the crossbar joint, and the bottom plate joint.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, the connection relationship between the hollow square tube and the connecting joint is as follows: The inclined upper rod is connected to the tank connection joint and the inclined upper rod connection joint; The downward-sloping rod connects to the tank joint and the bottom plate joint; The crossbar is connected to the tank joint and the crossbar joint is connected. The vertical pole is equipped with an inclined upper pole connecting joint, a horizontal bar joint, and a base plate joint; The support leg is connected to the downward-sloping bar and the base plate; The tank connection joint is connected to the tank flange.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the overall cross-sectional dimensions of the support leg and the lower diagonal rod are much smaller than those of the upper diagonal rod, the horizontal rod, the vertical rod, and the lower diagonal rod.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the tank flange includes four split flanges, which are screwed to one side of the tank connection joint of the crab claw truss by four screws and to the other side of the tank connection joint of the crab claw truss by another four screws.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the tank flange is made of carbon fiber and is provided with corner plates.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the surface of the square truss is provided with a satellite single-unit cable routing path.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the hollow square tube is made of carbon fiber.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, the vibration-absorbing plate is connected to the inclined upper rod joint through an embedded part in the plate, and the entire crab claw truss is decoupled from the vibration-absorbing plate.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present invention, the vibration-absorbing plate is a honeycomb plate structure and is treated with aluminum skin, wherein the vibration-absorbing plate does not have reinforcing ribs.

[0018] The present invention has the following beneficial effects: (1) By reducing the stiffness of the vibration-absorbing plate (e.g., the vibration-absorbing plate has a skin + honeycomb structure and no stiffeners, thus becoming the point of lowest stiffness), and simultaneously decoupling the vibration-absorbing plate from the crab claw truss (e.g., the crab claw truss is not directly connected to the vibration-absorbing plate, i.e., its main force transmission path, such as the connection points of the vertical and diagonal bars with the vibration-absorbing plate, is separated), a drum-skin effect is generated, which concentrates and dissipates the overall stress on the vibration-absorbing plate, thereby reducing the impact on the tank. Under strict structural quality requirements, the mechanical response of the tank is usually reduced by stiffening the tank truss, but this solution reduces the tank response by using the vibration-absorbing plate as an energy concentration area with less weight.

[0019] (2) The entire satellite adopts a truss configuration. The large-section, thin-walled carbon fiber square rods ensure the overall rigidity of the truss while greatly reducing the structural weight. The crab claw truss configuration provides a route for the satellite's cables, reducing cable length. At the same time, the crab claw truss improves the utilization of satellite space and facilitates the installation of individual units inside the cabin. The central truss can effectively bear concentrated mass loads, such as large-capacity storage tanks. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates a load-bearing configuration of a large cylindrical storage tank in the prior art. Figure 2 This diagram illustrates the load-bearing configuration of a large, single-panel storage tank in the prior art. Figure 3 This diagram illustrates a load-bearing configuration of a truss-type large storage tank in the prior art. Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a whole-plane vibration reduction device based on a vibration-absorbing plate and a crab claw truss structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown; and Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a square truss is shown in one embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0021] In the following description, the invention is described with reference to various embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments may be practiced without one or more specific details or with other alternatives and / or additional methods, materials, or components. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail so as not to obscure the inventive points of the invention. Similarly, for illustrative purposes, specific quantities, materials, and configurations are set forth to provide a comprehensive understanding of embodiments of the invention. However, the invention is not limited to these specific details.

[0022] In this invention, the various embodiments are merely intended to illustrate the solutions of the invention and should not be construed as limiting.

[0023] In this specification, references to "an embodiment" or "this embodiment" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The phrase "in one embodiment" appearing throughout this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment in all instances.

[0024] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0025] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a whole-star vibration reduction device based on a vibration-absorbing plate and a crab claw truss structure is shown in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a square truss is shown in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] like Figure 4 As shown in Figure 5, in one embodiment of the present invention, the whole-satellite vibration reduction device includes: The base plate 1 has a tank mounting position for installing the tank. A square truss 2 is installed on the base plate. The support legs 8 of the crab claw truss and the base plate joint 13 are mechanically connected and fixed to the base plate 1 to form the bottom support of the truss. The edge of the base plate is provided with bolt holes that match the lower end of the support legs 8. The number of holes corresponds to the number of support legs (e.g., 4 support legs correspond to 4 sets of holes).

[0028] Base plate 1 is the bottom support platform of the entire satellite structure. It receives the tank loads and vibration energy transmitted from the crab-claw truss and distributes the force to the overall satellite structure through its own stiffness, becoming the terminal node of the force transmission path of the entire satellite. It provides stable bottom support for the crab-claw truss to ensure the overall stability of the truss configuration.

[0029] The square truss 2 is composed of four crab claw trusses and a storage tank flange 9, wherein the crab claw trusses include: Four hollow carbon fiber square tubes: Diagonal upper member 4 is arranged at a 45° angle at the top of the truss; Horizontal bar 5 is arranged horizontally in the middle of the truss to form a square frame; Vertical members 6 are arranged vertically at the four corners of the truss and serve as the main force transmission path; The sloping lower rod 7, the bottom inclined member, connects the lower end of the vertical rod 6 to the bottom plate joint 13; Support leg 8, auxiliary support rod, connecting the middle of the inclined lower rod 7 to the base plate 1.

[0030] Four connectors: The storage tank connection joint 10 has one side for installing the storage tank flange 9, and the other three sides are connected to the upper diagonal bar 4, the horizontal bar 5, and the lower diagonal bar 7. The inclined upper rod connecting joint 11 is connected to the upper end of the inclined upper rod 4 at one end and to the pre-embedded part of the vibration absorption plate 3 at the other end, and is also connected to the upper end of the vertical rod 6. Crossbar connector 12, T-shaped structure, connects the middle of the crossbar 5 and the vertical bar 6; The base plate connector 13 is fixed to the base plate 1 and connects the vertical rod 6 to the lower end of the inclined rod 7.

[0031] The square truss 2 effectively bears concentrated mass loads such as 100L storage tanks through a multi-bar collaborative force transmission path (vertical bar 6 is the main path, with diagonal bar 7 and support leg 8 assisting in force transmission), ensuring the continuity of mechanical transmission. The open truss structure improves the utilization rate of the cabin space and facilitates the layout of single-unit equipment; in addition, the surface of the square truss also provides cable routing paths, saving cable length.

[0032] The tank flange 9 is used to connect the crab-claw truss to the tank. To increase the connection area between the truss and the tank, the tank flange 9 includes four separate flanges. These separate flanges are screwed to one side of the tank connection joint of the crab-claw truss with four screws, and to the other side with four more screws. To enhance rigidity, carbon fiber angle plates are provided on the tank flange 9. The tank flange 9 also provides an installation interface with the tank. To ensure sufficient rigidity and reduce the amplification factor of the sinusoidal vibration response, and based on the principle of weight reduction, in one embodiment of the present invention, the tank flange 9 is made of carbon fiber M55J material.

[0033] In this embodiment, considering weight constraints, the upper inclined rod 4, horizontal rod 5, vertical rod 6, and lower inclined rod 7 are hollow tubes, maximizing the usable space inside the tank while ensuring a sufficiently large cross-section. This also simplifies the force transmission path and minimizes the mechanical amplification factor. The upper inclined rod 4 is connected to the tank connection joint 10 and the upper inclined rod connection joint 11 using adhesive bonding and riveting; the lower inclined rod 7 is connected to the tank connection joint 10 and the bottom plate joint 13 using adhesive bonding and riveting; the horizontal rod 5 is connected to the tank connection joint 10 and the horizontal rod joint 12 using adhesive bonding and riveting; the vertical rod 6 serves as the main force transmission path, transferring force to the tank through the upper inclined rod connection joint 11, the horizontal rod joint 12, and the bottom plate joint 13; the support leg 8 is connected to the lower inclined rod 7 and the bottom plate 1, and its overall cross-sectional size is much smaller than that of the upper inclined rod 4, horizontal rod 5, vertical rod 6, and lower inclined rod 7, serving as an auxiliary support by transferring some energy to the bottom plate 1 with lower stiffness.

[0034] Vertical rod 6 serves as the main force transmission path, transferring the tank load step by step to the base plate 1 through the upper inclined rod connection joint 11, the horizontal rod joint 12, and the base plate joint 13; lower inclined rod 7 and support leg 8 serve as auxiliary paths, dispersing some of the lateral load. The tank flange 9 uses carbon fiber corner plates to enhance connection stiffness and reduce the vibration amplification factor at the interface between the tank and the truss.

[0035] Vibration-absorbing plate 3 is connected to the inclined upper rod joint 11 through a pre-embedded metal part in the plate. The entire crab claw truss structure and vibration-absorbing plate 3 are mechanically decoupled, avoiding interference of the bottom plate stiffness on the vibration absorption effect, ensuring that it becomes an independent energy absorption unit, and solving the problem of excessive tank response caused by insufficient stiffness of the truss configuration.

[0036] In this embodiment, the honeycomb core of the vibration-absorbing plate 3 is 19.1mm thick, with a 0.3mm aluminum skin and a 0.15mm thick top and bottom layer including a honeycomb film. It contains no metal or composite material reinforcing ribs, ensuring minimal in-plane stiffness. By eliminating all rigid support components within the plate, its stiffness is reduced simultaneously in terms of both material selection and structural form. Furthermore, no large-mass single-unit equipment is installed on the surface of the vibration-absorbing plate 3 to avoid excessive response from large-mass single-unit equipment.

[0037] Through the above design, the vibration-absorbing plate 3 becomes the weakest link in stiffness along the axial path of the storage tank. When the satellite encounters sinusoidal vibration excitation, the dynamic response energy of the entire satellite will preferentially concentrate to the vibration-absorbing plate 3, which has the lowest stiffness. As the "lowest stiffness point" in the axial direction of the storage tank, it preferentially undergoes elastic deformation under sinusoidal vibration excitation. Through the "drum skin effect," it concentrates and absorbs the dynamic energy of the entire satellite, thereby reducing the amplitude of the storage tank's vibration response and effectively solving the problem of excessive dynamic response of the storage tank caused by insufficient overall stiffness of the crab claw truss.

[0038] In one embodiment of the present invention, the load transmission path is: tank load → tank flange 9 → tank connection joint 10 → upper diagonal bar 4 / horizontal bar 5 / vertical bar 6 / lower diagonal bar 7 → upper diagonal bar connection joint 11 / horizontal bar joint 12 / bottom plate joint 13 → support leg 8 / bottom plate 1, forming a progressively distributed transmission chain of "concentrated load → truss frame → foundation support".

[0039] When a satellite encounters external stimuli (such as launch vibrations), the overall satellite dynamic response distributes energy according to stiffness distribution: Crab claw trusses have high overall stiffness and take priority in structural support, but the low stiffness of traditional trusses can lead to excessive tank response. The vibration-absorbing plate is designed as an "energy trap" with low stiffness. Its stiffness is much lower than that of the truss and the base plate. Vibration energy preferentially causes the vibration-absorbing plate to buckle in the plane (drum skin effect). The energy is dissipated through the elastic-plastic deformation of the honeycomb core and skin, thereby reducing the vibration amplitude of the tank.

[0040] Compared with existing technologies, this solution, through a decoupled design of "truss load-bearing + vibration-absorbing plate energy dissipation," reduces the structural weight by 20%-30% while solving the problem of excessive tank response caused by insufficient stiffness in traditional truss configurations. It is also suitable for satellites under 500kg with large concentrated mass payloads. This design has been successfully applied to the DRO-B satellite and has been operating stably in orbit for over a year, providing the aerospace industry with a lightweight and highly reliable whole-satellite vibration reduction solution.

[0041] Although various embodiments of the invention have been described above, it should be understood that they are presented by way of example only and not as limitations. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various combinations, modifications, and alterations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the breadth and scope of the invention disclosed herein should not be limited by the exemplary embodiments disclosed above, but should be defined solely by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A whole-plane vibration reduction device based on vibration-absorbing plates and a crab-claw truss structure, characterized in that, include: The base plate is used to support the square truss and is equipped with storage tanks; A square truss, comprising four crab claw trusses and a tank flange for fixing the tank, wherein the crab claw trusses are decoupled from the vibration-absorbing plate; as well as Vibration-absorbing plates, mounted on a square truss, are used for vibration reduction of the storage tank, wherein the vibration-absorbing plates are configured at the lowest point of rigidity.

2. The whole-plane vibration reduction device based on vibration-absorbing plates and crab claw truss structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The four crab claw-shaped trusses of the square truss are arranged at the four corners of the base plate, and the crab claw trusses include: Four hollow square tubes, including an upper inclined rod, a horizontal rod, a vertical rod, a lower inclined rod, and a support leg, wherein the hollow square tubes do not directly contact the vibration-absorbing plate; Four connecting joints, including the tank connecting joint, the inclined upper rod connecting joint, the crossbar joint, and the bottom plate joint.

3. The whole-plane vibration reduction device based on vibration-absorbing plates and crab claw truss structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The connection relationship between the hollow square tube and the connecting joint is as follows: The inclined upper rod is connected to the tank connection joint and the inclined upper rod connection joint; The downward-sloping rod connects to the tank joint and the bottom plate joint; The crossbar is connected to the tank joint and the crossbar joint is connected. The vertical pole is equipped with an inclined upper pole connecting joint, a horizontal bar joint, and a base plate joint; The support leg is connected to the downward-sloping bar and the base plate; The tank connection joint is connected to the tank flange.

4. The whole-plane vibration reduction device based on vibration-absorbing plates and crab claw truss structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, The overall cross-sectional dimensions of the supporting leg and the lower diagonal rod are much smaller than those of the upper diagonal rod, the horizontal rod, the vertical rod, and the lower diagonal rod.

5. The whole-plane vibration reduction device based on vibration-absorbing plates and crab claw truss structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, The tank flange comprises four separate flanges, which are screwed to one side of the tank connection joint of the crab claw truss by four screws and to the other side of the tank connection joint of the crab claw truss by another four screws.

6. The whole-plane vibration reduction device based on vibration-absorbing plates and crab claw truss structure according to claim 5, characterized in that, The tank flange is made of carbon fiber and is equipped with corner plates.

7. The whole-plane vibration reduction device based on vibration-absorbing plates and crab claw truss structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The surface of the square truss is provided with satellite unit cable routing paths.

8. The whole-plane vibration reduction device based on vibration-absorbing plates and crab claw truss structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The hollow square tube is made of carbon fiber.

9. The whole-plane vibration reduction device based on vibration-absorbing plates and crab claw truss structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The vibration-absorbing plate is connected to the inclined upper rod joint through embedded parts in the plate, thus decoupling the entire crab claw truss from the vibration-absorbing plate.

10. The whole-plane vibration reduction device based on vibration-absorbing plates and crab claw truss structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vibration-absorbing plate has a honeycomb structure and is treated with aluminum skin, and the vibration-absorbing plate does not have reinforcing ribs.

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