Nondestructive Testing of CubSat Satellite Body Using Laser Vibrometry

Abstract

The high reliability of modern 3D printing technologies makes it possible to create structural elements for aerospace and rocket industry products. Currently, the team of authors are developing a system for designing and additive manufacturing of composite and polymer structures for high-tech applications. In this paper, we studied the body of a Tomsk-TPU-120 CubSat satellite, the first Russian spacecraft to contain additive manufactured elements. Device quality control was carried out using resonant ultrasonic stimulation in conjunction with the use of scanning Doppler laser vibrometry, as well as experimental modal analysis. The testing results made it possible to reveal a defect at the butt end surface of the satellite body by analyzing the amplitude-frequency characteristic of surface vibrations. Experimental vibration-scanning data were used to verify a mathematical model developed using the ANSYS software.