Modeling and development of solar panels deployment of nano satellites driven by shape memory alloy bar

Abstract Nano satellites possess technological advantages such as light weight, small size, low cost, and high functional density. However, with the increase in payload and power requirements of nano satellites, the demand for little, controllable deployable solar panels is becoming more urgent. To meet the requirements of active deployment mechanisms in the solar panels of nano satellites, this paper presents a shape memory alloy (SMA) rod-driven actuator to generate the requisite torque and angular displacement for driving the deployment of solar panels. The design concept is crafted to illustrate it’s working principle. Then, the constitutive equations for the torsional loading case are derived. Following that, its characterizations are analyzed through an analytical model. Finally, the actuator is fabricated, and its experiments are conducted to validate these models. The results show that the structure is simple and compact, and it is capable of generating torque within 0.34 Nm, which indicates well for its prospective utilization in the realms of nano satellites and small robotic systems.