Electromagnetic, Thermal, Stress and Deformation Analysis of a Space-Based Satellite Dish Antenna

Satellites in space often employ dish antennas to direct signals efficiently to a large but limited area of the earth’s surface. An example is a satellite radio transmitter in geostationary orbit may, with an antenna beam width of a tenth of a radian. The dish antenna may be illuminated by a small feed horn and connected to the satellite by a metal waveguide or coaxial structure. Surface currents on the metals cause electromagnetic power to convert to heat, increasing temperature of the structure and subsequently causing mechanical stress and deformation. This white paper describes how simulation tools from ANSYS can comprehensively analyze all these effects -- electromagnetic, thermal and structural -- and demonstrates the value of multiphysics simulation for a satellite dish antenna operating under real-world multiphysics conditions.