Coupling dynamic behavior of space flexible hollow beam

The coupling between the plane motion and transverse vibration is a challenge for the dynamic analysis of space structures. The coupling dynamic behavior of the on-orbit space flexible hollow beam is studied in this paper. As a common configuration of spacecraft and their components, the space structure with a large slenderness ratio and hollow structure is considered. With weak damping and variable structural parameters, the dynamic model is derived for the space flexible hollow beam by the Hamilton least-action principle. Then, a complex structure-preserving method that has been proved to be feasible for the infinite-dimensional dynamic system is constructed. Subsequently, effects of the hollow structure, weak damping and variable structural parameters on the orbit-attitude-vibration coupling dynamics are discussed comprehensively. Meanwhile, the evolutions of energy of the coupling dynamic system with/without damping are reproduced. The results show that the effects of the hollow structure, damping and variable structural parameters are all notable for the dynamic behavior of the space coupling dynamic systems. The constructed complex structure-preserving method can effectively characterize the coupling dynamic behavior and energy evolution of the space system. The numerical examples may serve as practical references for the design of space flexible hollow structures.