BIFURCATION OF A LIQUID-FILLED SPACECRAFT WITH ELASTIC APPENDAGES

The coupling dynamics of the pitching of spacecraft, the sloshing of liquid fuel and the vibration of elastic appendages are investigated. The coupling dynamics equations deduced by using H-O principle are adopted. The multiple scale method is proposed to analyze the primary resonance of the rigid-liquid-elastic coupling system. The bifurcation analysis is given by means of singularity theory. The hysteresis bifurcation is found in the desired coupling system, it is represented by the amplitude-frequency response switches between soft and hard spring types at the critical depth.