Dynamic analysis of a rigid-flexible inflatable space structure coupled with control moment gyroscopes

Abstract The vibration generated by the inflatable structure after deployment has a great impact on the performance of the payloads. In this paper, the influence of the control moment gyroscope (CMG) on the dynamic responses and characteristics of an inflatable space structure is studied, based on the flexible multibody dynamics in combination of the absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF) and the natural coordinate formulation (NCF). Firstly, the ANCF and NCF are used to accurately describe the large deformations and large overall motions of flexible inflatable tubes and rigid satellites, respectively. Afterwards, by using the Lagrange equation, a rigid body dynamic model of the CMG is established in detail, which can be attached to and coupled with any flexible bodies without any assumptions. Then, the orbital dynamic equations of the inflatable space structure coupled with distributed CMGs are obtained by considering the effects of Coriolis force, centrifugal force, and gravity gradient through coordinate transformation. The dynamic characteristics of the inflatable space structure are also analyzed by deriving the eigenvalue problem of a flexible multibody system. Finally, the accuracy of the CMG dynamic model is verified via a classic heavy top example. And several numerical examples are presented to study the influence of the magnitudes and directions of the rotor angular momentum of the CMG on the dynamic responses and characteristics of the inflatable space structure.