Simulating coupled thermal-mechanical interactions in morphing radiators

Christopher L. Bertagne; Rubik B. Sheth; Darren J. Hartl; John D. Whitcomb

doi:10.1117/12.2175739

2 April 2015 Simulating coupled thermal-mechanical interactions in morphing radiators

Christopher L. Bertagne, Rubik B. Sheth, Darren J. Hartl, John D. Whitcomb

Proceedings Volume 9431, Active and Passive Smart Structures and Integrated Systems 2015; 94312F (2015) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2175739
Event: SPIE Smart Structures and Materials + Nondestructive Evaluation and Health Monitoring, 2015, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Thermal control is an important aspect of every spacecraft. The thermal control system (TCS) must maintain the temperature of all other systems within acceptable limits in spite of changes in environmental conditions or heat loads. Most thermal control systems used in crewed vehicles use a two-fluid-loop architecture in order to achieve the flexibility demanded by the mission. The two-loop architecture provides sufficient performance, but it does so at the cost of additional mass. A recently-proposed radiator concept known as a morphing radiator employs shape memory alloys in order to achieve the performance necessary to use a single-loop TCS architecture. However, modeling the behavior of morphing radiators is challenging due to the presence of a unique and complex thermomechanical coupling. In this work, a partitioned analysis procedure is implemented with existing finite element solvers in order to explore the behavior of a possible shape memory alloy-based morphing radiator in a mission-like thermal environment. The results help confirm the theory of operation and demonstrate the ability of this method to support the design and development of future morphing radiators.

Citation Download Citation

Christopher L. Bertagne, Rubik B. Sheth, Darren J. Hartl, and John D. Whitcomb "Simulating coupled thermal-mechanical interactions in morphing radiators", Proc. SPIE 9431, Active and Passive Smart Structures and Integrated Systems 2015, 94312F (2 April 2015); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2175739

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available