Vibration and impact for deployable solar array of satellite with locking hinges

Satellite solar arrays are the typical free-floating multi-body system, and their movement can produce strong nonlinearity. In order to study the dynamic characteristics of the system with contact-impact in hinges constraint during deployable solar arrays, the equations of motion are derived with characterization of its chain topology. The forward and inverse dynamic recursive model of satellite solar arrays is deduced by using Lagrange and Newton-Euler method. Therefore, a new systematic approach is developed for the nonlinearity and multi-degree freedom of the system since the difficulty of obtaining the analytical solution. The generalized dynamic model of solar arrays system is established through the constraint equations of conservation of momentum and contact-impact forces, which are evaluated based on the Hertz contact theory and a modified Coulomb's friction law. The dynamic behavior of free-floating satellite solar arrays is analyzed considering contact-impact action in deployment process. The deployment dynamics characterization of solar arrays and satellite attitude motion are fully predicted through simulation results. The conclusion has important academic value and engineering significance.