Design and analysis of a lightweight prestressed antenna back-up structure

Zengxiang Ma; Dehua Yang; Jingquan Cheng

doi:10.1117/12.856229

6 August 2010 Design and analysis of a lightweight prestressed antenna back-up structure

Zengxiang Ma, Dehua Yang, Jingquan Cheng

Proceedings Volume 7733, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes III; 77333Q (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.856229
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2010, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

The planned Square Kilometer Array (SKA) includes three thousand 15m antennas. The radio flux density from the sun is stronger, so that a solar array, such as Frequency-Agile Solar Radiotelescope (FASR) with hundreds of dishes can have smaller dish size. Therefore, light weight, low cost dish design is of vital importance. The reflecting surface supported by an antenna back-up structure, generally, should have an RMS surface error less than λ/20 (λ_. is the operating wavelength). For resisting gravitational, wind, and ice-snow loadings, an antenna dish also requires reasonable mode frequencies. In this paper, different low cost small or medium back-up structure designs are discussed, including double-layer truss design and prestressed dish design. Based on discussion, an innovative light weight, prestressed back-up structure is proposed for small or medium aperture antennas. Example of a small 4.5m aperture dish design working below 3GHz is presented. This design is a one-layer prestressed truss structure with low weight, ease installation, and low manufacture cost. Structural analysis and modal extraction results show the structure is much stiffer than the same structure without prestressed loading.

Citation Download Citation

Zengxiang Ma, Dehua Yang, and Jingquan Cheng "Design and analysis of a lightweight prestressed antenna back-up structure", Proc. SPIE 7733, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes III, 77333Q (6 August 2010); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.856229

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