Title :
Surface control adjustment experiments on a mesh reflector antenna
Author :
Bailey, M.C. ; Schroeder, L.C. ; Campbell, T.G.
Author_Institution :
NASA Langley Res. Center, Hampton, VA, USA
Abstract :
The authors present results of experiments performed for the purpose of determining the practicality of utilizing active surface control as a means of correcting for distortions in a mesh reflector antenna. A 15-m diameter hoop/column reflector antenna was reconfigured with surface-adjustment capability by installation of control motors on 28 surface shaping tension cords. Only one quadrant of the surface was configured with control motors; all other surface cords had preset tensions. After the motors were installed, the antenna was deployed and the surface distortion measured. The initial deployed surface had a root-mean-square (RMS) distortion of 0.164 in. determined by measuring 239 photogrametric targets over the surface of the controllable quadrant. A finite-element structural model was used to determine the amount of adjustment required for each surface shaping cord to minimize the deviation from a paraboloid.<>
Keywords :
antenna radiation patterns; finite element analysis; reflector antennas; 15 m; RMS distortion; active surface control; antenna analysis code; control motors; diameter; distortions correction; finite-element structural model; hoop/column reflector antenna; mesh reflector antenna; paraboloid; photogrametric targets; radiation performance; surface distortion measurement; surface shaping tension cords; Antenna measurements; Antenna radiation patterns; Distortion measurement; Feeds; Finite element methods; Frequency; NASA; Performance analysis; Reflector antennas; Shape control;
Conference_Titel :
Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium, 1990. AP-S. Merging Technologies for the 90's. Digest.
Conference_Location :
Dallas, TX, USA
DOI :
10.1109/APS.1990.115497
