Finite Element Prediction of Structural Failure of Space Payloads under Random Excitation using Different Solvers

Space payloads are analyzed for their natural frequencies, and for survival under inertial loads and random excitation. In this paper, response of a typical space payload under Random Vibration is studied using Hypermesh/Optistruct and Nastran/Patran. Quadrilateral and Hexagonal elements used in the mesh to obtain higher accuracy and conservative results. Gaussian distribution with Kurtosis control 7 is used predict possible failure of the payload. Comparison of the results obtained by two solvers is made. A possible explanation to the difference in the results is also presented. The explanation helps to approximate results closer to theoretical values and the Gaussian distribution of higher order helps to predict failure of space payloads with higher confidence.