Streamlining Development Process of Optical Satellite Components at OHB System AG with HyperWorks and Altair Partner Alliance
Technology Category
- Networks & Connectivity - Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)
- Sensors - GPS
Applicable Industries
- Equipment & Machinery
- Telecommunications
Applicable Functions
- Product Research & Development
- Quality Assurance
Use Cases
- Predictive Maintenance
- Time Sensitive Networking
Services
- System Integration
- Testing & Certification
About The Customer
OHB System AG is one of the leading space companies in Europe and specializes in high-tech solutions for space, science and industry. The company traditionally combines the technologies of leading national and international companies to develop new solutions. With these partnerships and the effective participation in syndicates, OHB has been a sought-after and reliable partner for the ESA, the DLR, and the German Federal Ministry of Defense, as well as for customers in the private and public sector for several decades. OHB projects cover the design and testing of models as well as satellite development, operation and data utilization.
The Challenge
OHB System AG, a leading space company in Europe, faced a significant challenge in the development of optical instruments used in satellites. The company had to ensure the structural safety of a satellite mirror subsystem and therefore used CAE software in their development process. The challenge was to ensure that the device would function correctly and last as long as predicted without any fatigue failure when in space. All satellite parts have to withstand very heavy loads and vibrations, especially during launch, and it would be prohibitively expensive to exchange them once they have been launched into space. The engineers had to predict some of the loads as a function of time (deterministic loads), but they could only estimate others statistically (random loads). For these random loads, the engineers normally employ a random environment introducing broadband and high frequency vibration into the system, which comes from the engine, acoustic loads or aerodynamic turbulences.
The Solution
OHB System AG employed computer-aided simulation when predicting the load conditions during the launch phase within the primary structure to verify compliance with strength and stability requirements for the load-bearing satellite cell. They used Altair's HyperWorks suite, especially HyperMesh for pre-processing and OptiStruct for optimization tasks. For the two projects covered in this story, OHB had to assess the fluctuating stresses on the mirror systems resulting from the vibrations initiated into the system during launch. For this, the engineers used the software CAEfatigue VIBRATION (CFV) via the Altair Partner Alliance (APA), in addition to other CAE tools. CFV is a powerful frequency domain random response post processor (with connections to noise, vibration and harshness) as well as a unique vibration fatigue solver that works with both mixed random and deterministic loading sources. The software tool was applied here to streamline the development process and to get deeper insights into the behavior of the subsystem.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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