Abstract:
To address the problem of interference torque generated by flexible cables in satellite deployment mechanisms and the difficulty of accurately simulating their large deformation behavior using traditional methods, a variable-length cable dynamic model was established based on the Absolute Nodal Coordinate Formulation with the Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian description (ALE-ANCF). The system governing equations were constructed by incorporating constraint conditions. The accuracy of the proposed model was verified by comparing experimental and simulation results. The control variable method was employed to analyze the effects of key parameters, including cable diameter, redundancy, fixed point position, deployment speed, space temperature, and microgravity, on the interference torque. The parameter analysis reveals that: (1) reducing the cable diameter or increasing the distance between fixed points significantly reduces the interference torque; (2) appropriately increasing the cable redundancy also lowers the torque; (3) a higher deployment speed exacerbates torque fluctuations; (4) the ambient temperature in space is negatively correlated with the interference torque; and (5) under microgravity conditions, torque fluctuations diminish, while the risk of cable entanglement increases. This study provides a theoretical basis and data support for the parameter optimization of cable systems in satellite deployment mechanisms.