Design of a 2 m Primary Mirror Assembly Considering Fatigue Characteristics

Abstract

The design requirements of a 2 m mirror assembly installed on a large space optical remote sensor are investigated in this study. The mirror body and rigid connectors are designed using topology and size optimization methods. The initial design scheme of flexible supports is then proposed through an in-depth exploration of fatigue failure mechanism caused by impacts of size parameters, thermal–mechanical vibration, and surface abrasion. The comprehensive analysis mode of the flexible support structure is established with the help of finite element and fatigue analysis software programs. The designed mirror surface error under composited force is 5.6 nm, first natural vibration mode is 119.16 Hz, and fatigue life synthesizing thermal–mechanical vibration is about 21,790,000 cycles, thereby meeting the design requirements. The first natural vibration mode, acceleration response, and stress responses of sine and random vibration are verified with experiments, and the findings are compared with the theoretical analysis results. The analysis mode can successfully and significantly improve the reliability of the mirror assembly and help optimize the design of flexible supports.