Robust Optimal Design for Surface Accuracy of Mesh Reflectors Considering Cable Length Inaccuracy

Abstract

Mesh reflectors are widely employed for large space antennas due to their lightweight, compact, and easy package. Their cable length has to be carefully designed to guarantee the reflector surface shapes the desired paraboloid rigidly. In this paper, a robust optimal design is addressed for mesh reflectors, aiming at reducing the adverse impact on reflector surface accuracy of the inevitable inaccuracy in cable lengths during manufacturing and assembly. The objective of the robust design of mesh reflectors is to find the optimal cable length, so that mesh reflectors have the best nominal surface accuracy with as low as possible variations that result from uncertain cable length inaccuracies. Because the best surface accuracy is at a minimum and has a zero first-order gradient, a second-order variation model for the surface accuracy is employed. Numerical examples show the proposed method can achieve an effective, robust optimal design that is insensitive to the inaccuracy in cable lengths.