Structural and hygrothermal analysis for a composite tube is carried out in this study, that provides critical parameters for the design of a highly dimensionally stable space telescope. Carpet plots for laminate effective engineering constants are generated and used for the best tube lay-ups with high elastic modulus and highly insensitive to thermal and moisture expansion, which is essential for maintaining optical alignment of opto-mechanical system under random force applied during a launch campaign and orbital thermal load. Despace in the longitudinal direction under hygrothermal load of the tubes constructed with the selected lay-ups is calculated for the validation of lay-up designs on the dimensional stability. Dynamic analysis is also carried out to feature the resonant behaviour. A zig-zag triangular element accurately representing through thickness stress variations for laminated structures is developed in this study and incorporated into the structural and hygrothermal analysis.

Date Published: 1 February 2006
PDF: 13 pages
Proc. SPIE 6034, ICO20: Optical Design and Fabrication, 60340B (1 February 2006); doi: 10.1117/12.668094

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 6034:
ICO20: Optical Design and Fabrication
James Breckinridge; Yongtian Wang, Editor(s)