DESIGN OPTIMIZATION OF A SPACER STRUCTURE FOR SPACE STATION FREEDOM

Structure optimization techniques, which have matured over the last th ree decades, have been applied successfully to generate a preliminary minimum weight design of a Space Station Freedom component. The design code 'COMETBOARDS' which was developed by the Structural Mechanics Br anch of NASA Lewis Research Center, was utilized. The component, terme d a 'short spacer truss' of the Space Station Freedom, was modeled as a space frame, and its minimum-weight design was obtained under prescr ibed stress, buckling, crippling, displacement, and frequency constrai nts. The optimum design weight was found to be lighter than that obtai ned manually. The optimum design also appears to be attractive from ma nufacturing considerations. A description of the structural component, its design environment, behavior limitations, and the optimum-design process are briefly presented in this paper, along with a brief descri ption of the design code COMETBOARDS that was developed for this purpo se.