A general methodology for analysis of structure-borne micro-vibration

Driven by the increasingly stringent stability requirement of some modern payloads (e.g. the new generations of optical instruments) the issue of accurate spacecraft micro-vibration modelling has grown of importance. This article focuses on the dynamic coupling between a source of micro-vibration (e.g. reaction wheel) and a structure, taking into account the uncertainties related to both parts. In this context, an alternative to the Monte Carlo Simulation for complex structures has been developed, consisting in sub-structural approach to perturb the natural frequencies of specific subsystem reduced with the Craig-Bampton method. In order to prove the validity of the method and its application to the theory of the coupling, benchmark examples and practical applications will be described. © 2012 AIAA