An interface suitable for on-orbit rapid assembly and connection of space truss structures

Abstract

The application discloses an interface suitable for on-orbit quick assembly and connection of a space truss structure, comprising a cubic frame and connecting pipes, wherein the cubic frame is the main structure of the interface, and a plurality of connecting pipes are fixed on each face of the cubic frame. A plurality of trusses in the space truss structure are connected with the connecting pipes on the same face of the cubic frame, so that the connection between the space truss structure and the interface is realized. A plurality of space truss structures are connected with the connecting pipes on different faces of the cubic frame respectively, so that the interconnection of the plurality of space truss structures is realized. The interface is lightweight under the premise of ensuring strength, and meanwhile, various connection requirements are met, so that the on-orbit assembly efficiency and the structural stability are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an interface suitable for rapid on-orbit assembly and connection of space truss structures, belonging to the field of rapid on-orbit assembly technology of truss structures. Background Technology

[0002] In existing on-orbit truss structure applications, traditional truss interfaces have many drawbacks. On the one hand, most interfaces use heavy metal members, which greatly increases the overall structural load and launch costs. Furthermore, the enormous vibrations and accelerations during rocket launch can damage the truss interfaces. On the other hand, traditional truss interfaces have limited functionality and fixed connection methods, making it difficult to meet diverse assembly needs. Welding operations are also inconvenient, affecting assembly efficiency and structural integrity. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem solved by this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and propose an interface suitable for rapid on-orbit assembly and connection of space truss structures. This interface achieves a lightweight design while ensuring strength, meets multiple connection requirements, and improves on-orbit assembly efficiency and structural stability.

[0004] The technical solution of this invention is:

[0005] An interface suitable for rapid on-orbit assembly and connection of space truss structures, comprising a cube frame and connecting tubes;

[0006] The cube frame is the main structure of the interface, and it is composed of multiple rods connected together.

[0007] Multiple connecting pipes are fixed to rods located on various faces of the cube frame; multiple trusses in the spatial truss structure are connected to each connecting pipe on the same face of the cube frame, realizing the connection between the spatial truss structure and the interface; multiple spatial truss structures are respectively connected to each connecting pipe on different faces of the cube frame, realizing the interconnection of multiple spatial truss structures.

[0008] Furthermore, the interface is made entirely of carbon fiber reinforced PEEK composite material, using an additive manufacturing method. The carbon fiber and PEEK mixed powder is heated, melted, and then printed layer by layer to obtain the interface product.

[0009] Furthermore, the connecting pipes located on the same face of the cube frame are arranged in a regular polygonal layout. The number of connecting pipes on the same face of the cube frame is set according to the number of trusses on each face of the spatial truss structure, with a one-to-one correspondence.

[0010] Furthermore, the space truss structure is a triangular truss structure, with three connecting tubes located on the same face of the cube frame, arranged in an equilateral triangle, with two connecting tubes located at two adjacent vertices of the cube frame.

[0011] Furthermore, the connecting pipe includes a rod portion and an end portion, the end portion being flared in shape, and the stringers in the spatial stringer structure are connected to the end portion.

[0012] Furthermore, the rod portion of the connecting pipe is provided with an open welding keyway at the top and bottom, which facilitates ultrasonic welding between the stringers and the ends of the connecting pipe in the space stringer structure.

[0013] Furthermore, the flared end of the connecting pipe is at a 45° angle to the pipe axis, which facilitates the precise positioning of the stringers and interfaces of the space stringer structure in space.

[0014] Furthermore, the cube frame adopts a hollow design. The key stress-bearing parts are determined through finite element analysis. The rod thickness is increased and reinforcing ribs of the same material are set in the key stress-bearing parts, while the non-key stress-bearing parts are hollowed out.

[0015] Furthermore, reinforcing ribs are provided on each face and inside the cube frame;

[0016] On each square face, there are three reinforcing ribs, with one end of each rib intersecting at a point; the other ends of two of the reinforcing ribs are connected to the two ends of the same rod, forming an equilateral triangle, and the other end of the third reinforcing rib is connected to the opposite rod, forming a perpendicular connection;

[0017] Inside the cube frame, eight reinforcing ribs are set at one vertex of the center point to connect to each vertex of the cube frame, and six reinforcing ribs are set to connect to the intersection of three reinforcing ribs on each face of the cube frame.

[0018] Furthermore, the connection method between the interface and the space truss structure is as follows:

[0019] First, insert each stringer of the space stringer structure into the connecting pipes on the same surface of the interface to achieve initial positioning;

[0020] Next, welding material is filled into the welding keyways of each connecting pipe until it is flush with the welding surface, and then welding is performed to complete the connection between the interface and the space truss structure, forming a truss unit module.

[0021] The advantages of this invention compared to the prior art are:

[0022] (1) Lightweight advantage: By selecting high-strength carbon fiber reinforced composite materials and a unique hollow structure design, the weight of the present invention can be reduced by more than 80% compared with traditional truss interfaces, effectively reducing the overall structural weight and reducing transportation and assembly costs.

[0023] (2) Multifunctionality: Each face of the truss interface of the present invention is designed with a corresponding truss connecting pipe, which can realize multi-angle and multi-directional connection and expansion of truss members, meeting the needs of complex structure construction. The multifunctional welding groove not only facilitates welding operations, but also allows for adhesive bonding as needed, improving the interface connection effect.

[0024] (3) Weldability and stability: The welding groove designed in this invention can significantly reduce the risk of material fracture caused by excessive stress during the welding process. The welding groove can also be easily filled with welding materials to ensure welding quality, make the interface and truss members firmly connected, and enhance the overall structural stability. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings. In the drawings:

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the interface structure applicable to the rapid on-orbit assembly and connection of space truss structures in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 This is a partial schematic diagram of the interface applicable to the rapid on-orbit assembly and connection of space truss structures in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a modular unit assembled from the interface and truss members according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0029] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0030] This invention proposes an interface suitable for rapid on-orbit assembly and connection of space truss structures. The main frame of the interface is a hollow cubic frame structure. Finite element analysis is used to analyze the structural strength of the interface and optimize its configuration. Thickness and reinforcing ribs are added to critical load-bearing areas, while non-critical areas are rationally hollowed out, reducing weight while maintaining structural strength. In this embodiment, the main frame consists of a cubic frame 1 composed of 12 carbon fiber reinforced PEEK composite material members with a diameter of 3mm and a length of 100mm, as shown below. Figure 1As shown, there are 14 internal reinforcing PEEK composite rods 2 with a diameter of 3mm inside, which serve as internal supports, thereby improving the strength and stiffness of the interface.

[0031] Three connecting tubes 4 are installed on each face of the main frame to connect to the stringers of the spatial truss structure. Two connecting tubes are located at the two corners of the main frame, and the third connecting tube is located inside the frame, forming an equilateral triangle with sides of 100mm. The connecting tube 4 has an inner diameter of 2.5mm, an outer diameter of 5mm, and a length of 20mm, ensuring it can connect with stringer members with a diameter of 2mm. The ends of each connecting tube 4 have a flared shape 3, as shown in the image. Figure 2 As shown, the flared opening is at a 45° angle to the mandrel, which facilitates precise positioning of the stringers and interfaces during manned or unmanned docking in space, enabling rapid assembly.

[0032] A welding keyway 5 is provided on the surface of the connecting pipe 4. The cross-section of the welding keyway 5 consists of a rectangle with a length of 10mm and a width of 4mm and two semicircles with a diameter of 4mm on both sides. The welding keyway 5 is designed to be open at the top and bottom, which facilitates ultrasonic welding of the stringers and interfaces of the space truss structure. The ultrasonic welding time between the stringers and interfaces is 1 second, which greatly improves the on-orbit connection efficiency of large structures. In addition, the presence of the welding keyway 5 can prevent excessive deformation of the material during ultrasonic welding, which could lead to breakage of the connecting pipe.

[0033] The interface utilizes high-strength thermoplastic composite materials, such as carbon fiber reinforced PEEK, which boasts a high strength-to-weight ratio. This ensures the interface's load-bearing capacity while significantly reducing its own weight, meeting lightweight requirements. Selective laser sintering (SLS) technology heats the carbon fiber and PEEK mixture powder, melts it, and then prints it layer by layer to construct a three-dimensional object, enabling on-orbit additive manufacturing of the interface.

[0034] The interface manufacturing and usage method proposed in this invention is as follows:

[0035] (1) Material preparation

[0036] High-strength carbon fiber reinforced composite materials that meet the requirements of strength and lightweight are selected. Taking carbon fiber reinforced PEEK material as an example, carbon fiber and PEEK powder are prepared and mixed evenly according to the mass ratio of carbon fiber of 42% to ensure that the material has the best mechanical properties.

[0037] (2) Interface Model Construction

[0038] The complex structure of the interface is designed using CAD software, and the interface model is constructed by considering internal channels and supporting structures.

[0039] (3) Interface manufacturing

[0040] By using selective laser sintering technology, carbon fiber and PEEK mixed powder are melted and printed layer by layer to achieve on-orbit manufacturing of interfaces.

[0041] (4) Connection with truss members

[0042] First, insert the three longitudinal members of the triangular truss into the three connecting pipes 4 of the interface to achieve initial positioning; second, fill the welding groove 5 with welding material until it is flush with the welding surface, and use a suitable welding process (such as ultrasonic welding) to weld, completing the efficient connection between the interface and the truss members; then, assemble the triangular truss and the interface into a rectangular truss unit module, such as... Figure 3 As shown; finally, the truss unit modules are expanded and assembled to realize the on-orbit manufacturing of large or even ultra-large space structures.

[0043] The embodiments described above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention. Ordinary variations and substitutions made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An interface suitable for rapid on-orbit assembly and connection of space truss structures, characterized in that, Includes a cube-shaped frame and connecting pipes; The cube frame is the main structure of the interface, and it is composed of multiple rods connected together. Multiple connecting pipes are fixed to rods located on various faces of the cube frame; multiple stringers in the space truss structure are connected to each connecting pipe on the same face of the cube frame to realize the connection between the space truss structure and the interface; multiple space truss structures are respectively connected to each connecting pipe on different faces of the cube frame to realize the interconnection of multiple space truss structures. The interface is made entirely of carbon fiber reinforced PEEK composite material. It is manufactured using an additive manufacturing method, in which carbon fiber and PEEK mixed powder are heated, melted, and then printed layer by layer to obtain the interface product. The connecting pipes on the same face of the cube frame are arranged in a regular polygonal layout. The number of connecting pipes on the same face of the cube frame is set according to the number of stringers on each face of the space truss structure, in a one-to-one correspondence. The space truss structure is a triangular truss structure. There are three connecting tubes on the same face of the cube frame, which are distributed in an equilateral triangle. Two of the connecting tubes are located at two adjacent vertices of the cube frame. The connecting pipe includes a rod and an end, the end being flared in shape, and the stringers in the space truss structure are connected to the end. The connecting pipe is provided with an open welding keyway at the top and bottom to facilitate ultrasonic welding of the stringers and the end of the connecting pipe in the space truss structure. The cube frame adopts a hollow design. The key stress-bearing parts are determined by finite element analysis. The thickness of the rods is increased and the same material is used to reinforce the key stress-bearing parts. The non-key stress-bearing parts are hollowed out. Reinforcing ribs are installed on all faces and inside the cube frame; On each square face, there are three reinforcing ribs, one end of which intersects at a point; the other ends of two of the reinforcing ribs are connected to the two ends of the same rod, forming an equilateral triangle, and the other end of the third reinforcing rib is connected to the opposite rod, forming a perpendicular connection; Inside the cube frame, eight reinforcing ribs are set at one vertex of the center point to connect to each vertex of the cube frame, and six reinforcing ribs are set to connect to the intersection of three reinforcing ribs on each face of the cube frame.

2. The interface for rapid on-orbit assembly and connection of space truss structures according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flared end of the connecting pipe is at a 45° angle to the axis of the connecting pipe, which facilitates the precise positioning of the struts and interfaces of the space truss structure in space.

3. The interface for rapid on-orbit assembly and connection of space truss structures according to claim 1, characterized in that, The connection method between the interface and the space truss structure is as follows: First, insert each stringer of the space truss structure into the connecting pipes on the same surface of the interface to achieve initial positioning; Next, welding material is filled into the welding keyways of each connecting pipe until it is flush with the welding surface, and then welding is performed to complete the connection between the interface and the space truss structure, forming a truss unit module.

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