Spacecraft Secondary Structure Primary Load Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional spacecraft designs require separate primary and secondary structures, leading to increased weight and integration effort, as secondary structures are traditionally only used for secondary functions and not primary structural functions.
Innovation Solution
Integrating secondary structures to assume primary structural functions, allowing them to take on both primary and secondary roles, thereby eliminating the need for a separate primary structure in certain areas, and using additive manufacturing and finite element optimization to position and design these structures along primary load paths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate primary and secondary structures are used in conventional spacecraft designs, then structural functions are clearly defined and reliable, but overall weight increases and integration effort increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the primary structure and secondary structure into a single integrated structure. The secondary structure is designed to simultaneously perform its original secondary functions (such as fluid transport) and primary structural functions (supporting main loads like engine thrust). This consolidation eliminates the need for separate attachment mechanisms and reduces overall structural weight while maintaining reliability through unified load-bearing design.
Solution Approach 2:
The secondary structure is transformed into a multifunctional component that serves both secondary purposes (fluid supply, electrical connections) and primary structural purposes (load bearing, structural support). By designing the secondary structure to handle main loads directly, the patent creates a universal structure that performs multiple functions simultaneously, reducing weight and simplifying the overall spacecraft architecture.
2Ease of manufacture
If separate primary and secondary structures are used in conventional spacecraft designs, then functional separation is clear and maintenance is simplified, but integration effort increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines previously separate primary and secondary structures into a single integrated structure. This merger eliminates the need for complex attachment interfaces, brackets, and fastening mechanisms that were required to connect separate structures. The integrated design reduces integration effort and simplifies manufacturing while maintaining functional clarity through deliberate design of load paths and fluid pathways within the unified structure.
3Weight of moving object
If secondary structures are designed to assume primary structural functions, then weight is reduced and integration effort is reduced, but design complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the secondary structure as a multifunctional component that simultaneously performs secondary functions (fluid transport, electrical connectivity) and primary structural functions (load bearing, structural support). This multi-functionality reduces weight by eliminating redundant structural elements while managing design complexity through systematic integration of load paths with fluid pathways, creating a unified design approach rather than adding complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the geometric and material parameters of the secondary structure to enable it to bear primary loads. Through optimization of wall thickness, material selection, and structural geometry, the secondary structure is transformed from a non-load-bearing component into a load-bearing structure, achieving weight reduction while managing design complexity through parameter optimization rather than fundamental design overhauls.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
Disclosed are a use of at least one secondary structure at least partially as a primary structure in a spacecraft, a spacecraft with at least one secondary structure that assumes primary structural functions of a primary structure at least partially, a method for manufacturing such a spacecraft, as well as a computer program product and a computer-readable storage medium.