Structural optimization of a small earth remote sensing satellite

Structural sizing optimization is a crucial step in the process of modern satellite structural design. It warrants minimizing the satellite structural mass while improving the overall quality and reliability of such design. This article discusses thoroughly the structural optimization of a small earth remote sensing satellite whose primary structure is based upon aluminum honeycomb sandwich plates. A novel contribution has been conducted in extending the optimization problem to include the main static and dynamic loads acting simultaneously on the satellite during launch phase utilizing the results of static, buckling, modal, and harmonic response analyses. The small satellite optimization process starts initially with formulating the optimization problem based upon the structural analyses results. Subsequently, miscellaneous optimization techniques utilizing ANSYS workbench capabilities represented in “DesignXplorer” module are employed. Finally, the results are compared with other results obtained from a MATLAB code based upon both genetic and sequential quadratic programming algorithms. The optimization process leads to approximately 30% mass reduction in the proposed satellite structure. A special attention is drawn towards meta-models due to their capabilities in solving complex structural models with a reasonable wall-clock time.