Dynamic modeling and simulation of a novel mechanism for adhesive capture of space debris

Flexible capture has high applicability in the removal of space debris. In this paper, a novel adhesive capture mechanism is proposed, the multibody dynamic modeling method of the capture system is detailed, and an investigation of the adhesive capture process by numerical simulation is presented. First, the passive trigger mechanism of the capture device is described. Second, based on the classical rigid body mechanics and the fully parameterized ANCF beam element, the multibody model of the capture device is detailed. A contact detection algorithm is proposed to take the failure of adhesive connection into account, and its robustness and effectiveness are demonstrated. Finally, investigations of the dynamics during the capture process in two typical capture conditions are described and the impact of some system parameters on the capture effectiveness is discussed. The simulation results provide key parameters for the selection of the adhesive material and show the practical applicability of the capture mechanism. (C) 2021 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Flexible capture has high applicability in the removal of space debris. A novel adhesive capture mechanism is proposed in this paper, with detailed multibody dynamic modeling method and investigations of the adhesive capture process. The study discusses the impact of system parameters on the capture effectiveness and provides key parameters for selecting adhesive materials.