THERMOMECHANICAL STUDY ON MULTIPLE HINGE CONFIGURATIONS EMPLOYED IN MODULAR MICROSATELLITE DESIGN.

The present paper describes an approach for evaluating the thermal and mechanical behavior of a small satellite aluminum frame. The study takes into account two types of hinge configurations: a torsional and a lamellar spring joint. An equivalent heat flux is derived from the scientific literature. The temperature gradients are used as input in a structural analysis for evaluating the displacements and stress that occurs in the assembly joint locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]