Source-path-receiver approach to isolator design for reaction wheels on satellite structures

Abstract

A typical approach in vibration isolation would be based on the transmissibility, which may be also useful in the design of isolators for reaction wheels on a satellite structure. Considering, however, that magnitude of (angular) vibration of equipment on the satellite is often required to be less than a specific value, the transmissibility method, which represents the performance of isolation in terms of relative ratio of vibration, may not suffice. In this paper, a source-path-receiver approach is presented to design an isolator for a reaction wheel on a satellite structure which includes equipment whose magnitude of angular vibration is of interest. First, characteristics of the reaction wheel as an excitation source are extracted by measuring blocked forces. Second, an accurate finite element model is prepared to predict dynamic behavior of source(reaction wheel)-path(truss)- receiver(thick plate), based on modal testing. Third, forced response analyses are done for the whole system to determine stiffness of the isolator between source and path such that the target value of the angular vibration of the receiver be achieved. Last, performance of the source-path-receiver approach is compared with that of the transmissibility approach.