Structural optimization of the RCS pylon in aerospace applications

A radar cross section (RCS) pylon is a structure that is used in RCS test systems to support a rotator and test aircraft. A method is proposed for structural and vibration analysis of an RCS pylon. The method was derived from defined displacement functions using the Ritz method, and we analyzed the structural and vibration characteristics of an RCS pylon through parametric analyses conducted using our proposed methodology. Additionally, the sensitivity analysis is conducted to evaluate the effect of each design parameter on the structural and vibration characteristics of the RCS pylon. Finally, our proposed methodology is applied to optimize the pylon to minimize mass within structural requirements. The structural and vibration stability of the optimized pylon was investigated in detail using 3D finite element analysis. The optimization method could be used to create a database of the structural and vibration characteristics of an RCS pylon for aerospace applications. The results confirmed that the proposed method is well suited for such applications because of its relative simplicity and computational efficiency.