For real time monitoring of the wing state, in this paper, the inverse Finite Element Method (iFEM) is applied, which describes the displacement field of beam according to the Timoshenko theory, to sense the wing frame deformation. In order to maintain the accuracy and stability of frame deformation sensing with iFEM, an optimal placement model of strain sensors based on eigenvalue analysis is constructed. Through the model solution with the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm, two different optimal placement schemes of sensors are obtained. Finally, a simulation is performed on a simple cantilever beam and a static load experiment is conducted on an aluminum alloy wing frame. The results demonstrate that the iFEM is able to accurately sense the deformation of the wing frame, when the two optimal placement schemes of sensors are used.

For the inverse finite element method (iFEM), an inappropriate scheme of strain senor distribution would cause severe degradation of the deformation reconstruction accuracy. The robustness of the strain–displacement transfer relationship and the accuracy of reconstruction displacement are the two key factors of reconstruction accuracy. Previous research studies have been focused on single-objective optimization for the robustness of the strain–displacement transfer relationship. However, researchers found that it was difficult to reach a mutual balance between robustness and accuracy using single-objective optimization. In order to solve this problem, a bi-objective optimal model for the scheme of sensor distribution was proposed for this paper, where multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) was employed to optimize the robustness and the accuracy. Initially, a hollow circular beam subjected to various loads was used as a case to perform the static analysis. Next, the optimization model was established and two different schemes of strain sensor were obtained correspondingly. Finally, the proposed schemes were successfully implemented in both the simulation calculation and the experiment test. It was found that the results from the proposed optimization model in this paper proved to be a promising tool for the selection of the scheme of strain sensor distribution.

Active panels are generally applied in large aperture and high-frequency reflector antennas, and the precise calculation of the actuator adjustment value is of great importance. First, the approximation relationship between the adjustment value and panel elastic deformation is established. Subsequently, a panel adjustment matrix for the whole reflector is derived to calculate the reflector deformation caused by the actuator adjustment. Next, the root mean square (rms) error of the deformed reflector is expressed as a quadratic form in the matrix form, and the adjustment value can be derived easily and promptly from the corresponding extreme value. The solution is expected to be unique and optimal since the aforementioned quadratic form is a convex function. Finally, a 35 m reflector antenna is adopted to perform the panel adjustments, and the effect of the adjustment errors is discussed. The results show that compared with the traditional model, where the panel elastic deformation is not considered, the proposed method exhibits a higher accuracy and is more suitable for use in large reflectors with a high operation frequency. The adjustment errors in different rings exert different influences on the gain and sidelobe level, which can help determine the actuator distribution with different precisions.

Environmental loads linked with pointing errors, such as gravity, thermal gradients, and wind disturbances, are a serious concern for large-aperture high-frequency radio telescopes. For the purpose of maintaining the pointing performance of a telescope, a contact measurement scheme is proposed on basis of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) strain sensors that can monitor the sub-reflector shift in real time as the input data of the adjustment system. In this scheme, the relationship between the in situ strain measurement and the deformation of the supporting structure, which is the main cause of sub-reflector shift, is deduced using the inverse Finite Element Method (iFEM). Finally, experimental studies are carried out on a simple physical structure model to validate the effectiveness and accuracy of the contact measurement scheme.

Large reflector antennas are widely used in radars, satellite communication, radio astronomy, and so on. The rapid developments in these fields have created demands for development of better performance and higher surface accuracy. However, low accuracy and low efficiency are the common disadvantages for traditional panel alignment and adjustment. In order to improve the surface accuracy of large reflector antenna, a new method is presented to determinate panel adjustment values from far field pattern. Based on the method of Physical Optics (PO), the effect of panel facet displacement on radiation field value is derived. Then the linear system is constructed between panel adjustment vector and far field pattern. Using the method of Singular Value Decomposition (SVD), the adjustment value for all panel adjustors are obtained by solving the linear equations. An experiment is conducted on a 3.7 m reflector antenna with 12 segmented panels. The results of simulation and test are similar, which shows that the presented method is feasible. Moreover, the discussion about validation shows that the method can be used for many cases of reflector shape. The proposed research provides the instruction to adjust surface panels efficiently and accurately.

Radio astronomy is a discipline of dynamics and wonders. The vast universe has many secrets to unravel. As one of the important facilities in this discipline, radio telescopes play a key role in collecting astronomical data and unraveling mysteries. With the demand of radio astronomy for a higher frequency, wider bandwidth, higher gain, and higher pointing accuracy, the aperture of the radio telescope is gradually increasing, and its electrical performance and structure have become tightly coupled. Therefore, how to ensure the stable and efficient operation of the telescope for the long-term operation has become the urgent demand for large aperture high-performance radio telescopes. Therefore, this paper firstly makes a comparison of the overall condition of large radio telescopes in nearly a decade that are both constructed and operated, including the progress of radio telescopes that are being constructed and the planning for construction. Then, systematically summarized the latest research progress of electromechanical coupling technology from 3 aspects of connotation and application of electromechanical coupling, and performance guarantee under slowly varying load and performance guarantee under rapidly varying load from the perspectives of design, manufacturing, and observation operating. Lastly, the future research direction of electromechanical coupling technology is pointed out according to the development trend of radio astronomy.