Thermal–dynamic Coupling Analysis of Large Space Structures Considering Geometric Nonlinearity

In this paper, a beam element is derived for the thermal–dynamic coupling analysis by the updated Lagrangian formulation. The nodal transformation matrix of the element is obtained by dividing the rigid body rotation of the beam element into the relative translational displacements and axial rotation. With this transformation matrix, the interaction between the structural deformation and the absorbed heat flux can be formulated and the thermal–structural coupling effect is thus considered. The validity of the proposed method is illustrated by comparing the obtained results with the numerical, analytical or experimental results available in the literature. Then the method is employed to analyze the thermal–structural responses of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) solar array. From the results, a reasonable explanation can be given for the failure of the telescope in 1990.