FINITE ELEMENT MODELING ON F.R.E.T. FOR ORIGAMI-INSPIRED CUBESAT APPLICATIONS

Modelling of multi-layer rigid-flex printed circuit boards (PCB) for origami structures can be carried out with several different strategies, often resorting to models that either require a considerable amount of computational power, resulting excessively complex, or descending to oversimplifications that do not grasp the structural dynamics. Among these strategies, finite element modelling results the most convenient because it seizes the behaviour of the system with an eye on computational efficiency. This study shows a new finite element analysis approach to model the dynamics of FRET (Flexible Reinforced Electronics with Textile), a novel technology enabler for aerospace structures, applied on a COTS solar panel for small CubeSats (Solarcube). Solarcube is a deployable solar panel prototype system based on the flasher origami pattern, which possesses a large ratio of stowed-to-deployed area. Two finite element analyses are carried out, The first one is a launch forces modal analysis of the undeployed prototype, during which vibrations and impact shocks become relevant. The second analysis was performed on the fully-deployed model to investigate the response of the solar panel substructure to the various solicitations relevant to the working phase. The results allow to evaluate the effectiveness of the finite element technique in this specific scenario and also to explore the possibilities of the FRET technology, applied to deployable space structures.