An easy-to-implement thermal test system for large deployable antennas

Large deployable antennas (LDAs), having a wide range of applications in aerospace engineering, encounter extreme thermal conditions when subjected to the space environment. Ground thermal test facilities are used to validate LDA deployability and accuracy under extreme thermal conditions. General antenna thermal test facility is thermal vacuum test facility, which is complex and costly as the vacuum test chamber has to be pumped down and large enough to accommodate LDAs. In this paper, an easy-to-implement thermal test system is presented, which simulates atmospheric thermal environment for LDAs using an air cycle refrigeration system and electric heaters. Additionally, a series of measures are used to ensure uniform temperature and limit airflow turbulence. Test results show that the test system can provide dry, uniform temperature and small disturbance thermal environment for LDAs.