Thermal analysis of composite solar array subjected to space heat flux

Thermal analysis of the solar array is of great importance for the safe operation of spacecraft. In this paper, a thermal analysis model of composite solar array with complex structure is developed to characterize the thermal response of the whole solar array system subjected to space heat flux. Two different altitudes including low Earth orbit and geosynchronous orbit are discussed. The external heat flux of orbiting solar array in these orbits is proposed according to the flight attitudes. The thermal analysis model for the complex solar array is developed, in which all the honeycomb panel, simplified hinges, composite frames and yokes are taken into account. Moreover, the transient temperature fields in different orbits of all the components and the effects of the thermal environment factors on different components are discussed, and the thermal response of the solar array with two commonly used materials are contrastive analyzed. Simulation results reveal the evolution process of the transient temperature field of the whole solar array system. The proposed method is useful for forecasting the temperature distribution of the whole solar array system, and has important significance for the aerospace engineering. (C) 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.