Design method for bionic topology optimization of high-specific-stiffness mirrors based on additive manufacturing

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Aerospace Engineering

Background:

• Space optical mirrors require high specific stiffness for demanding applications.
• Traditional mirror designs face limitations in achieving optimal stiffness-to-weight ratios.
• Additive manufacturing offers new possibilities for complex structural designs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate a bionic topology optimization design method for space optical mirrors.
• To leverage additive manufacturing for fabricating optimized mirror structures.
• To enhance the specific stiffness and natural frequencies of space optical mirrors.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a Voronoi structure bionic topology optimization approach.
• Conducting optimal design and analysis of mirror structures.
• Fabricating mirror blanks using selective laser melting (SLM) technology.
• Performing modal testing to evaluate structural dynamics.

Main Results:

• The bionic topology optimization method successfully designed novel mirror structures.
• Selective Laser Melting (SLM) enabled the fabrication of complex, optimized mirror blanks.
• Modal testing showed significant increases in first-order natural frequencies: 31.78% and 60.20% for the two designs.
• The optimized mirrors achieved superior stiffness-to-weight ratios compared to traditional designs.

Conclusions:

• The proposed bionic topology optimization method is effective for designing high-specific stiffness space optical mirrors.
• Additive manufacturing, specifically SLM, is a viable fabrication technique for these optimized structures.
• This approach offers a novel and advantageous design strategy for future space optical mirror development.