Dynamic design of hinges for solar panel array deployment

The unfolding process of large solar panel arrays is often achieved through the rotation of elastic hinges between the panels, and the design parameters of the elastic hinges have a significant impact on the unfolding dynamics of the panels. For the smooth unfolding dynamic design problem of solar panel arrays, this paper establishes a one-dimensional and two-dimensional unfolding dynamic model of foldable solar panels based on modal superposition method. The unfolding process time and the maximum acceleration of the panel during the entire unfolding process are the combined objective functions, and the installation position of hinges, linear stiffness, and linear damping are used as optimization parameters. Genetic algorithm is used to optimize the unfolding process of solar panels. The numerical simulation results show that the selection of the combined objective function can not only ensure a shorter time for the complete deployment of the sail array, but also achieve smooth deployment of the sail array under low impact requirements; As the maximum acceleration weight coefficient in the combined objective function increases, the optimal installation position of the hinge gradually approaches the two ends of the connection between the plates.