Numerical and Experimental Study for a Beam System with Local Unilateral Contact Modeling Satellite Solar Arrays

The mass reduction of satellite solar arrays results in significant panel flexibility, so possibly striking one another dynamically leading ultimately to structural damage. To prevent this, rubber snubbers are mounted at well chosen points of the structure and they act as one sided linear spring; as a negative consequence, the dynamic of these panels becomes nonlinear. The finite element approximation is used to solve partial differential equations governing the structural dynamic. The models are validated and adjusted with experiments done in the ISVR laboratory, Southampton university.