Influence of Novel Electromagnetic Strengthening on Mechanical Properties of Spaceborne Elastic Components

Abstract Numerous elastic components are widely used in the power drive, vibration control, and pressure compensation of deployable antennas. Thus, the deployment and normal service of the antenna rely on the consistency and stability of their mechanical properties. They offer important support for deployable antenna products to meet the requirements of shape and surface accuracy. This study found that the electromagnetic field can improve the stiffness, hardness, and stability of the space-borne spring. In this experiment, the hardness variance distribution is reduced by 40.79%, the creep resistance is improved by 45.76% to 61.48%, and fatigue life is increased by 69%. With the enhancement of mechanical properties, the uniformity, consistency, and individual differences of the spring are improved. According to the observations of metallographic microstructure, fine grain strengthening and precipitation strengthening mainly contribute to the reinforcing effect. It is found that the electromagnetic field has an important influence on improving the performance stability and consistency of the space-borne elastic element structure, and this technology has great prospects in the future aerospace field.