Pyrotechnic shock response predictions combining statistical energy analysis and local random phase reconstruction

Numerous pyrotechnic devices are used on satellites to separate structural subsystems, deploy appendages, and activate on-board operating subsystems. The firing of these pyrotechnic mechanisms leads to severe impulsive loads which could sometimes lead to failures in electronic systems. The objective of the present investigation is to assess the relevance of a method combining deterministic calculations and statistical energy analysis to predict the time overall shock environment of electronic equipment components. The methods are applied to the low- and high-frequency ranges, respectively, which may be defined using a modal parameter based on the effective transmissibility. Initially, in order to address the problem of the low-frequency content of the mechanical shock pulse, the linear dynamic response of the equipment was calculated using direct time integration of a finite element model of the structure. The inputs in the form of the accelerations measured in all three directions at each of the four bolted interfaces were injected into the model. The high-frequency content of the shock response is taken into account by considering the intrinsic dynamic filtering of the equipment. This frequency filter magnitude is extrapolated from the transfer function given by statistical energy analysis between the different imposed accelerations and the response accelerations. Their associated phases are synthesized by considering pseudo-modal phase variations around the group velocity of the structural flexural waves. Combining the effects of the high-frequency filter outputs and the low-frequency finite element calculations yields good predictions of the equipment shock time response over the whole frequency range of interest.