Progress In Electromagnetics Research Symposium Proceedings, Xian, China, March 2226, 2010 25

Electromechanical Coupling Optimization Design of Large Reflector

Antennas Include Feed (Sub Reflector) Support Structure
P. Li, D. W. Yang, and F. Zheng
Research Institute on Mechatronics, Xidian University, Xian, China

Abstract The structure design of large reflector antennas is a typical electromechanical

multidisciplinary optimization process, and both main reflector back frame and feed/sub reflector
support structure should be include. From electromechanical coupling angle, a new coupling
formula is presented by introducing the distortion of main reflector and position/angle error of
feed/sub reflector into antennas far field patterns formula. So the structure parameters (include
back frame and feed support structure) is related to electrical parameter (include gain, side lobe,
beam width and pointing accuracy). Based on the coupling formula, a coupling optimization
model is proposed with design variable of feed/sub reflector support structure parameters besides
back frame, and with constraint conditions of electrical parameter besides structure conditions. A
numerical example has been done for an 8 m reflector antenna. Results of the example show that
the coupling optimization model is more efficient than tradition structure optimization model.

1. INTRODUCTION
As typical electromechanical equipment, antennas structure characteristic and electromagnetism
characteristic are interinfluence and interrestrict. So in order to design high quality antenna which
means high electrical performance and low structure cost, it is necessary to research from elec-
tromechanical coupling and discipline crossing angle [1]. There is much investigation on the rela-
tion between structure precision and electrical performance. The effect of main reflectors random
error and system distortion on electrical performance has been further researched [2]. Correlative
research result is applied to cylindrical reflector antenna and array-compensated spherical reflec-
tor antenna [3]. Analysis and optimization of reflector antennas have been dong with multiple
load cases and environmental factors [4]. Wang do the optimization design in electromechanical
integrated view based on Duans work [5]. Most researches focus on structure precision of main
reflector, but sub reflector also influence antennas electrical profoemance. The effect of position
error of sub reflector or feed on gain loss has been done [6]. Liu and Thompson [7] researched the
effect of feed/sub reflector support structure on antennas electrical performance and optimized
support structure from the electromechanical coupling angle.
But these are two problems of the works above. One is the separate problem of antenna structural
and electromagnetic analysis or design. Most antenna designers estimate gain loss by structure
precision based on Ruze formula [8]. However only structure precision con not represent the full
information of the distorted reflector, and con not represent some other main electrical parameters
such as sidelobe, beamwidth, pointing accuracy [4]. The other is the separate problem of main
reflector and sub reflector/feed. Main and sub reflectors have been addressed individually [1, 5],
but the effect of sub reflector/feed and main reflector on electrical performance is intercoupling and
combined working. As a whole antenna, they should be designed together.
For the deficiencies of previous works, form electromechanical coupling angle, the distortion of
main reflector and sub reflector/feed are introduced to the formula of antenna far field pattern. And
an coupling optimization model of reflector antennas with sub reflector/feed support structure is
presented. Numerical example results of an 8 m antenna demonstrate the excellence of the coupling
optimization model.
2. ELECTROMECHANICAL COUPLING FORMULA OF REFLECTOR ANTENNA
Various external loads (such as vibration shock, gravity, wind, ice and snow, sun illumination) will
lead to distortion of main reflector, position error and pointing angle error of feed/sub reflector,
these three factors effect far field parameter of antenna together, cause gain loss, pointing accuracy
reduce, sidelobe degrade and so on.
The formula of far field pattern can be written as
ZZ
0
f ( + , + 0 ) jkr0 d j j(0 ,0 ) 0 0 0
E , = e e e d d (1)
s r0
26 PIERS Proceedings, Xian, China, March 2226, 2010

where E is field value in some point of far field; f (, ) and (0 , 0 ) are amplitude and phase
distribution function of aperture field respectively, , 0 are the angles of pointing changes of feed
in two directions; r0 is the distance from focus to a point of main surface, d is the position error
of feed; ej is the error caused by main reflector distortion; = 4/Z(0 , 0 ) cos2 (/2), Z(0 , 0 ) is
axial displacement of main reflector surface; k = 2 f req/c, c is velocity of light; freq is frequency.
All of the variables are shown in Figure 1.
In formula (1), amplitude and phase distribution are functions of structure distortion (main
reflector distortion, angles of pointing changes and position error of feed), structure distortion is a
function of structure parameters (shape, size, topological structure and material of antenna back
frame and feed/sub reflector support structure). So a relation of structure parameters and electrical
performance is found via formula (1). Antenna designer could investigate antennas main electrical
performance directly on the base of structure parameters, and avoid the limitation of only structure
precision couldnt represent electrical performance of antennas completely.
3. ELECTROMECHANICAL COUPLING OPTIMIZATION MODEL
For different use and working condition of antennas, different structure optimizations model is need.
For ground based reflector antenna, optimization objective is surface precision, design variables
are shape, size, topological structure and material of antenna back frame, constraint conditions
are maximum weight, maximum stress and allowable range of design variables. For spaceborne
antennas, because of special working environment in outer space, optimization objective is weight,
constraint conditions is surface precision.
The antenna designers estimate gain loss according to the following formula [3]:
s !2
2f 1
G = 685.81 ln 1 + / (2)
R (2f /R)2

where, f , R, , are focal length, radius, wavelength and surface rms error respectively.
In this paper, coupling formula (1) was used to analyse electrical performance instead of (2),
so it was realized that considering gain, sidelobe, beam width, pointing accuracy in structure
optimization design, and design variables include structure parameters of sub reflector/feed support
structure. The electromechanical coupling optimization model is:
PI : Find (, ) = (1 , 2 , . . . , R , 1 , 2 , . . . , r ) (3)
Min W or G (4)
S.T. G(, ) Gmax or W (, ) Wmax (5)

K (1 , 2 , . . . , R ) K , (K = 1, 2, . . . , m) (6)
k (1 , 2 , . . . , r ) k , (k = 1, 2, . . . , n) (7)
i min i i max , (i = 1, 2, . . . , R) (8)
i min i i max , (i = 1, 2, . . . , r) (9)

' R
r

O z

Figure 1: Variables in reflector antennas.

Progress In Electromagnetics Research Symposium Proceedings, Xian, China, March 2226, 2010 27

where is structure design variables of antenna back frame, is structure design variables of sub
reflector/feed support structure, W is weight of antenna, G, G is a electrical property parameter
and its change, i is stress of ith element,
is allowable stress, m, n is total number of elements
in back frame and support structure respectively, min , max and min , max are minimum and
maximum allowable values of corresponding design variables.
According to different use and working condition, optimization objective and constraint condi-
tions are different also. For high gain spacebron antenna, optimization objective is weight, con-
straint is gain loss. For low sidelobe antenna on ground, objective is gain, constraint are weight
and sidelobe degradation. For high accuracy antenna, constraint should include pointing accuracy.

4. NUMERICAL EXAMPLE
A typical 8 m antenna is used for numerical example, the diameter of main reflector is 8 m, the
focal length is 3 m, and the frequency is 12.5 GHz. In Figure 2, a quarter of back frame is examined
because of its symmetry as shown. There are 32 nodes and 97 bar elements which are divided into
12 groups according to cross section areas as in Table 1. Material of element is steel, elastic modulu
is 210 MPa, density is 7.85 103 kg/cm3 .
Tradition structure optimization and coupling optimization in this paper are used for comparing.
The design variables include two parts. One part is back frame (Ai , Rj , Zk ), A is cross section
areas of bar elements in antenna back frame, the number of A is 12, R and Z are the radius and
Z coordinates of nodes 5, 6, 7 and 8, the number of R and Z is 4; the other part is feed support
structure (B, N ), B is cross section area of bar element in feed support structure, there is only one
bar group of feed support structure, N is the juncture of feed support bar and back frame, note that
N is a discrete variable, which is one of node 2, 3 and 4 as show in Figure 4. There are total 4 feed
support bars in the whole antenna. Optimization object W is the weight of antenna. Constraint
conditions G(A, R, Z, B, N ) is gain loss, is the maximum admissible gain loss, i is stress of ith
element, is admissible stress, Gmax equal to 0.25 dB and equal to 2.1 107 MPa. Ai min ,
Ai max , Rj min , Rj max , Zk min , Zk max and Bmin , Bmax are upper and lower limit of corresponding
design variables. The antenna is assumed with load of gravity and force with the same direction.
Tradition structure optimization: Design variables are back frame (Ai , Rj , Zj ) without feed
support structure (B, N ). Constraint conditions are surface precision less than 0.5 mm instead
of gain loss besides admissible stress. The gain loss of 0.5 mm rms is 0.2463 dB, according to (2).
Optimization objective is minimum structure weight. Other conditions are the same with coupling

Figure 2: Back frame structural diagram of a 8 m reflector antenna (length unit: cm).

Table 1: Bar elements classify of back frame structural.

Group Bar element Group Bar element Group Bar element

1 (9), (12) 5 (18), (19) 9 (6), (7)
2 (5), (8) 6 (16), (17) 10 (10), (11)
3 (1), (4) 7 (14), (15) 11 (13), (21)
(23), (24), (25),
4 (22), (20) 8 (2), (3) 12
(26), (27), (28)
28 PIERS Proceedings, Xian, China, March 2226, 2010

optimization model. The results of two optimizations can be seen in Table 2.

From Table 2, Structure weight of tradition structure optimization is 741.5 kg; Surface precision
of main reflector is 0.499 mm, which leads to gain loss 0.2463 dB of main reflector according to (2).
There is also position error of sub reflector/feed, which will lead to added gain loss. So the total
gain loss is 0.5790 dB according to (1), and far field pattern can be obtained at the same time.
Structure weight of coupling optimization is 573.58 kg, much lighter than 741.5 kg; gain loss is
0.2358 dB according to (1) considering distortion of main reflector and position error of feed/sub
reflector. The electrical performance is better than the results of structure optimization as show
Table 3. The gain loss reduce about 0.33 dB, side lobe hoist reduce about 0.70 dB of coupling
optimization compared with structure optimization from Table 3.
The result of coupling optimization could be explanted by the best fit surface theory: when
main reflector distort, if the feed is moved to the focus of the best fitting surface, there is no
loss of antenna efficiency [6]. That means the distortion or displacement of sub reflector/feed could
compensate the antenna electrical properties loss from main reflector distortion In fact, the effect of
sub reflector/feed and main reflector on antenna electrical properties is intercoupling and combined
working. So they should be studied together as a whole antenna during antenna structure design.

Table 2: Results comparison of structure optimization and coupling optimization (length unit: cm).

variable A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 A8 A9 A10 A11 A12

Structure
22.0 17.0 6.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 15.0 5.0 7.0 3.0 3.0 5.0
optimization
Coupling
18.0 13.0 8.0 5.0 3.0 4.0 8.0 4.0 5.0 4.0 4.0 4.0
optimization
variable Z1 Z2 Z3 Z4 R1 R2 R3 R4 B N S.T. W
Structure
2.0 53.0 121.0 162.0 150.0 200.0 281.0 342.0 rms 741.50
optimization
Coupling
4.0 53.0 159.0 189.0 150.0 194.0 303.0 357.0 4.0 2 dG 573.58
optimization

Table 3: Main antenna parameters comparison of two optimization results and ideal condition.

L-side lobe (dB) Gain loss (dB) R-side lobe (dB)

Ideal condition 14.41 0 14.41
Structure optimization 12.67 0.5790 13.25
Coupling optimization 13.36 0.2351 14.01

5. CONCLUSION
Position error of sub reflector/feed will influence antenna electrical properties, and this effect is
interaction with main reflector. So in the structure optimization design of reflector antenna, main
reflector back frame and sub reflector/feed support structure should be considered together. The
application results of 8 m antenna show that the optimization model in this paper has obvious
advantages; the optimization result can be referenced in engineering practice, and also has certain
guidance functions for the same kind antenna. Even for spaceborne deployable reflector antenna,
the optimization model could be applied.
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