Thermal deformation analysis and shape control of a novel large-scale two-dimensional planar phased array antenna

The performance of space antennas is significantly affected by thermal deformation owing to the harsh thermal environment in space. This results in potential degradation in pointing accuracy and overall functionality. This study focused on the analysis and control of thermal deformation in large-scale two-dimensional planar phased array antennas. Employing the finite element method, we developed a comprehensive thermal and structural model of the antenna. This enabled us to simulate the steady-state temperature field and the associated thermal deformation at various orbital positions. To address this deformation issue, we propose an innovative shape-control approach that utilizes distributed cable actuators. The shape control challenge was reformulated into a layered optimization problem concerning actuator placement and force application. In the outer optimization layer, a discrete particle swarm optimization algorithm was used to determine the optimal locations for the actuators. In the inner optimization layer, quadratic programming was subsequently applied to calculate the optimal control forces for each actuator. We validated the proposed method by numerically simulating a novel large-scale two-dimensional planar phased array antenna. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of our method in mitigating thermal deformation and maintaining the structural integrity and shape accuracy of the antennas.