Abstract

High power RF passive components are critical for satellite communications payloads and are required to handle increasingly larger peak/average powers over the entire frequency spectrum in the transmit path of the communication link. For reliability assurance, these high-power RF devices must be proven to be safe and free of high-power related failure phenomena such as multipaction-breakdowns. These industries mainly rely on testing to mitigate system failure. Since it’s very crucial and challenging to reproduce space conditions in lab, the testing procedure is considerably expensive, time-consuming, and unreliable. The presented work leverages the privileges of using Physical-based Simulation technology from Design to Manufacturing Process of an optimized and consolidated passive RF filters that will be safely launched to space for satellite communication. In addition, powder-bed fusion metal additive manufacturing (AM) process has matured as a breakthrough technology for the development of RF and microwave components such as waveguides, filters as well as antennas. This enabling technology has the potential and flexibility to build any shape components that conventional machining can rather be complex or not possible to use. It allows the exploration of unique and optimized designs of parts as well as assembly consolidation. The presented work illustrates the use of multi-physics simulation techniques in the design and optimization of an RF waveguide assembly that integrates three RF functionalities including bending, twisting and filtering sections operating in Ku/K-band [1]. The process simulation methodologies for the selective laser sintering presented in this work allow for reduced waste and build time while maintaining adequate support structure during the manufacturing process. Internal support requirements can generate additional postprocessing challenges. This is where CAE based support generation tools is utilized to find the optimum build time while minimizing the distortion tendencies and the support volume. Once the optimum supports and build orientations are obtained, coupled thermal-structural FEA simulation can be used to simulate the AM build process and estimate the residual stresses for a given build orientation and support strategy. [1] Pevereni O A, Lumia M, Paonessa F, Virone G, Calignano F, Cattano G, Manfredi D, IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MICROWAVE THEORY AND TECHNIQUES, VOL. 66, NO. 5, MAY 2018