Case Study: ESA ESTEC achieves accurate thermo-mechanical prediction for an ultra-light satellite antenna with MSC Software’s Digimat

Thermo-mechanical Design of an Ultra-light Satellite Antenna

The European Space Research and Technology Center (ESA ESTEC) needed to virtually design an ultra-light satellite antenna that was both sturdy and reliable, with a high sensitivity to thermal loads in space where repairs are impossible. To address this challenge, they used the multi-scale modeling capabilities of MSC Software's Digimat platform.

The solution from MSC Software involved using Digimat-MF for the multi-scale homogenization of a woven carbon/epoxy composite to predict yarn properties like stiffness and CTE. These properties were then used in Digimat-CAE with Abaqus to simulate the full satellite antenna structure. The results provided a high-quality prediction of the antenna's displacement behavior under thermal loading, ensuring its robustness for the harsh space environment.

ESA ESTEC

Julian Santiago Prowald

TEC-MSS Structures Section