Dynamic Modeling of Spacecraft with Flexible Panels Based on MITC3 Plate Element

Modern spacecraft typically carry large flexible components, such as solar panels, large antennas, and flexible solar sails. The requirements for accurately modeling the dynamics of spacecraft with flexible panel structures are increasingly stringent. Conventional modeling approaches, such as modal synthesis method, often struggle to simulate the complex vibrations of these systems effectively. In this paper, the flexible panels are discretized using the MITC3 element. Based on the hybrid coordinate system method and Lagrange equations, the rigid-flexible coupling dynamic equations for the central rigid body-flexible panel system are derived. This approach not only captures precise deformation details of the panel structure but also incorporates the coupling dynamic effects between the flexible attachments and the spacecraft body, while avoiding the shear locking problem commonly encountered in standard nodal elements. Comparison of simulation results with commercial software demonstrates that the dynamic simulation accuracy using the MITC3 element is significantly superior to that of the conventional modal synthesis method, exhibiting lower errors.