Thermal stability design of cable-net structure for mesh reflector antennas

Abstract

Cable-net structures play a crucial role in the construction of mesh reflector antennas, where maintaining high reflector surface accuracy is essential for achieving optimal electromagnetic performance. However, the reflector surface accuracy tends to degrade under space periodic thermal loads. To ensure that the antenna still has high accuracy in space environments, this study proposes a design method, that is, two materials with opposite thermal response mechanisms are used to construct the cable-net structure. Unlike the conventional approach of using a single material, this dual-material strategy results in a reflector surface that is less sensitive to thermal loads. The effectiveness of proposed method is demonstrated through case studies and semi-physical simulations.