A NOVEL VIBRATION DAMPER FOR SMALL SPACECRAFT WITH LARGE FLEXIBLE APPENDAGES

As small satellites become increasingly capable, opportunities now exist for them to perform complicated functions including missions beyond Earth orbit. For power, these missions may require large, flexible solar arrays that would produce dynamic loads. The research previewed in this article introduces a possible new configuration of magnetorheological fluid (MRF) damper for a small satellite application. Preliminary modeling of the proposed damper has been performed with a numerical MATLAB (TM) simulation to qualitatively demonstrate the feasibility of the concept and some initial results are presented. Based on the scalability of the technology, other applications could include larger spacecraft, spacecraft with solar sails, or a possible mitigation strategy against fuel sloshing.