Analytical study on the thermal deformation of ultralight phased array antenna

Toward an ultralight antenna structure for a preliminary radar satellite with a 30 m class phased array antenna as a midway target for future solar power satellites, this study examines the feasibility of an antenna structure made of an ultrathin plate mounted with multiple antenna patches and strips. In this structure, the thermal deformation caused by the difference in the coefficients of thermal expansion of each constituent is a critical issue to guarantee the flatness requirement from the aspect of electromagnetic performance. In this study, the thermal deformation of this structure was regarded as a generalized eigenstrain problem and was studied theoretically. In the theoretical model, Eshelby's equivalent inclusion method and Mori–Tanaka's mean-field method were combined in the framework of the classical lamination theory. The effects of the in-plane geometry, alignment, and layered structure of the antenna components on the deformation of the entire antenna structure were investigated to obtain the design guidelines. Based on these results, the optimized layered structure was examined for the suppression of thermal deformation. © 2021 IAA