Multiphysics Design and Fuzzy-Based Optimization of Materials and Geometry for the Triple Scissor Deployable Antenna Mechanism

There is a demand for a structurally sound fire detection and suppression system that can support a large deployable ground or space antenna in a lower Earth orbit (LEO) environment and remains thermally stable across the entire range of the LEO environment. This paper describes a new type of deployable antenna, i.e., triple scissor deployable antenna mechanism (TSDAM), which has a circumferential modular structure and can deploy into position with one degree of freedom; its deployment does not change its geometric precision or structural stability. This research creates a comprehensive design methodology based on a multiphysics approach, which encompasses nonlinear kinematics analysis, fuzzy logic-based material selection, structural and thermal optimization using fuzzy logic geometries, coupled thermo-structural-dynamic analysis, and finally, dynamic analysis of the deployed structure. The material selection process identified the most suitable candidate material to be the T1100G carbon fiber reinforced plastic as its stiffness-to-weight ratio and thermal performance under LEO cycling was the best in the study. The optimal geometric deployment yield for the antenna was 26.8 m with a total structural weight of 128.4 kg and the base case geometric deployment yielded a feasible ratio of 0.91. This work provides a comparison of the mass savings using traditional deployable truss designs; testing of conventional designs showed a much greater mass overhead compared to the smart design’s mass. From a dynamic analysis perspective, the predicted fundamental frequency for the TSDAM as deployed was 0.09912 Hz and compared favorably to the corresponding finite element models (1.91% error), thereby validating the analytical model. The overall test provides a systematic, scalable methodology for designing ultra-lightweight, geometrically precise deployable reflector systems that satisfy the requirements of next-generation space operations.