Spacecraft Recovery & Remote Sensing, Volume. 46, Issue 3, 51(2025)

High Lightweight 3D-Printed Titanium Alloy Support Structure Design for the Large-Cantilevered Space Mirror

Junlei CHANG1,2, Weizhi WANG1,2,3, Haochuan LIU1,2, Shoucheng PANG1,2, Pengpeng LIU1,2, Jian SUN1,2, Di ZHANG1,2, Bowei ZHANG1,2, Jukui YANG1,2, Ruimin FU1,2, and Zhinan ZHANG3、*
Author Affiliations
  • 1Beijing Institute of Space Mechanics & Electricity, Beijing 100094, China
  • 2Key Laboratory of Advanced Optical Remote Sensing Technology of Beijing, Beijing 100094, China
  • 3School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
  • show less

    The cantilevered support for space mirrors is a design challenge in remote sensing devices. Traditional structures made of materials such as cast titanium and carbon-silicon carbide cannot simultaneously meet the requirements of high lightweight, high support stiffness, and unconventional configurations. In this study, a high lightweight 3D-printed titanium alloy structure with a lattice in the skin was adopted to support the suspended mirror in a remote sensing camera. First, topology optimization was used to obtain a concept design for the support structure. Based on this conceptual design model, the geometric model was reconstructed using Creo software for shell extraction. The lattice structure was then filled using specialized software, and a lattice-in-skin 3D-printed model was established. Finally the HyperWorks software is used for finite element analysis of the skin and lattice. Iterative optimization was performed on skin thickness, lattice size, and local reinforcements. The support structure was fabricated through 3D-printed additive manufacturing and validated for its effectiveness through the dynamic test and CMM (coordinate measuring machine) measurement. This proposed method effectively addresses the support issue of suspended, unconventional mirrors and provides a valuable reference for the design and application of 3D-printed titanium alloy structure in remote sensing devices.

    Keywords
    Tools

    Get Citation

    Copy Citation Text

    Junlei CHANG, Weizhi WANG, Haochuan LIU, Shoucheng PANG, Pengpeng LIU, Jian SUN, Di ZHANG, Bowei ZHANG, Jukui YANG, Ruimin FU, Zhinan ZHANG. High Lightweight 3D-Printed Titanium Alloy Support Structure Design for the Large-Cantilevered Space Mirror[J]. Spacecraft Recovery & Remote Sensing, 2025, 46(3): 51

    Download Citation

    EndNote(RIS)BibTexPlain Text
    Save article for my favorites
    Paper Information

    Category:

    Received: Dec. 17, 2024

    Accepted: Dec. 17, 2024

    Published Online: Jul. 1, 2025

    The Author Email: Zhinan ZHANG (zhinanz@sjtu.edu.cn)

    DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1009-8518.2025.03.006

    Topics