Deployment and control of cable-driven flexible solar arrays

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to investigate the deployment and control of cable-driven flexible solar arrays. Design/methodology/approach - First, dynamic model of the system is established by using the Jourdain's velocity variation principle and the single direction recursive construction method, including the dynamic equation of a single flexible body, the kinematical recursive relation of two adjacent flexible bodies and the dynamic equation of the solar array system. Then, the contribution of joint friction to the dynamic equation of the system is derived based on the virtual power principle. A three-dimensional revolute joint model is introduced and discussed in detail. Finally, a proportion-differentiation (PD) controller is designed to control the drift of the system caused by the deployment. Findings - Simulation results show that the proposed model is effective to describe the deployment of flexible solar arrays, joint friction may affect the dynamic behavior of the system and the PD controller can effectively eliminate the spacecraft drift. Practical implications - This model is useful to indicate the dynamics behavior of the solar array system with friction. Originality/value - The relationship between ideal constraint force and Lagrange multipliers is derived. The contribution of joint friction to the dynamic equation of the system is derived based on the virtual power principle. A PD controller is designed to control the drift of the system caused by the deployment of solar arrays.