Optimizing Cable Wrapping Patterns to Neutralize Dynamic Impacts on Host Plate Structures for Space Applications

Abstract In the realm of lightweight space structures, the interplay between power and control signal transmission cables and their host structures introduces intriguing dynamics. The presented article aims to investigate optimal geometries for cable placement on plate structures while preserving the dynamic characteristics of the host structure. The cable wrapping is assumed to be periodic such that the cable-harnessed structure consists of several repeating fundamental elements. The periodicity condition allows for the application of an energy-equivalence homogenization approach to develop an analytical model resulting in partial differential equations for the vibrations of the cable-harnessed plate system. An optimization strategy is developed to rank various cable patterns for several host plate structures to obtain the best match for their frequency response functions compared to the bare plate when no cables are attached. Subsequently, a detailed analysis to investigate the impacts of several wrapping parameters on the system’s dynamics is carried out. Lastly, the frequency response functions for the optimal pattern from the analytical solution are validated against those from the finite element model and have shown to be in excellent agreement.