1.Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Deep Earth Sciences and Geothermal Energy Exploitation and Utilization, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
2.State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Construction and Healthy Operation and Maintenance of Deep Underground Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
3.College of Mechatronics and Control Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Objective Elevated photovoltaic deployment at the lunar south pole can reduce direct exposure to mechanically disturbed near-surface dust and improve solar visibility under persistently low solar elevation angles. However, it also imposes greater requirements on support stiffness, anchorage, and dynamic response. Existing concepts have generally treated array geometry, deployment mechanisms, foundation anchorage, and vibration control as separate design issues. Therefore, a vertical lunar photovoltaic power station system was proposed to integrate environmental constraints, three-dimensional array configuration, support sizing, regolith anchorage, and structural stability within a unified conceptual framework. The objectives were to clarify the engineering basis for elevated deployment, develop candidate array configurations, identify the governing structural constraints over a representative range of heights, and establish the parameter range of a candidate tuned mass damper for the first lateral mode. Methods Three elevated photovoltaic array configurations were developed. In the pennant-type configuration, the support point was positioned near the vertical geometric center of the photovoltaic assembly to reduce the effective cantilever length while maintaining the required clearance between the lower edge of the array and the lunar surface. In the canopy-deployment configuration, modules were distributed at multiple elevations and azimuthal directions to improve three-dimensional spatial utilization. In the windmill-type configuration, modules were arranged radially around a central joint to provide a comparatively balanced load transfer path and multi-azimuthal orientation. Published observations of lunar dust and simulations of south polar illumination were used to establish the environmental rationale for elevated deployment. A height of 10 m was adopted as a conceptual reference rather than as a universal threshold for dust concentration. A 10 kW class photovoltaic system was adopted for structural analysis. The design power density was 300 W/m2; an array area of 36 m2 and an array mass of 72 kg were used after accounting for module layout and long-term performance degradation. The support was idealized as a thin-walled circular graphite/epoxy cantilever. Exposed support heights from 10 to 30 m were examined, with 30 m used only as the upper bound of the conceptual sensitivity analysis. Bending strength, shear strength, Euler buckling stability, and serviceability-level deflection were evaluated, with the allowable top deflection set to 0.003 times the exposed support height. A horizontal moonquake acceleration of 1.52 m/s2 and lunar gravity of 1.62 m/s2 were adopted as conceptual inputs. The support-foundation connection was treated as ideally fixed for the upper structure calculations, and the resulting base actions were transferred to a separate anchorage model. For the anchorage analysis, the regolith was represented by an equivalent homogeneous medium with a density of 1 660 kg/m3, cohesion of 1.6 kPa, and an internal friction angle of 49°. A quasi-static Rankine passive earth pressure formulation was used to estimate the resisting moment and compare the required anchorage lengths for different support heights and safety factors. For the dynamic assessment, the structure was reduced to a cantilever model incorporating the photovoltaic array mass and distributed support mass. The first lateral natural frequency was calculated as a function of exposed support height. A tuned mass damper (TMD) was introduced as a candidate first-mode vibration control device. It was positioned near the top of the support, where the first-mode displacement was largest, and its parameters were determined using the classical Den Hartog relationships with a mass ratio of 0.05. Results and Discussions The three configurations provided distinct geometric and structural options. The pennant-type configuration reduced the effective support length and the support node elevation required to achieve a prescribed clearance between the module bottom and the lunar surface. The canopy-deployment configuration increased the utilization of vertical and azimuthal deployment space, whereas the windmill-type configuration provided radial symmetry and a comparatively direct load transfer path. These configurations were treated as candidate architectures because mutual shading, tracking requirements, deployment reliability, and maintenance requirements remain site dependent. Published terrain-based simulations indicated that increasing equipment height from 2 to 10 m at favorable south polar sites increased the cumulative illumination fraction from 92.27% to 95.65%. Regional photovoltaic assessments further indicated that increasing module elevation from 0 to 10 m increased the area with annual generation potential above 3 000 kW·h/m2 from approximately 2.7×105 to 4.2×106 m2. These data supported the use of 10 m as an engineering reference scale for improving illumination but did not establish a universal optimum height. Elevated deployment was therefore interpreted as a site-dependent environmental and structural trade-off. Within the adopted material properties, load model, safety factors, and height range, the required support diameter was governed primarily by the deflection criterion, followed by global buckling stability; bending and shear strength requirements were less restrictive. At an exposed support height of 30 m, the diameter required to satisfy the deflection criterion was approximately 470 mm. A representative outer diameter of 500 mm and a wall thickness of 10 mm were therefore adopted for subsequent anchorage and dynamic analyses. The elevated slender support was governed primarily by stiffness rather than material strength. The anchorage analysis showed that the required anchorage length increased with exposed support height and safety factor because the root bending moment increased with elevation. The calculated lengths represented comparative parameter scales rather than final foundation dimensions. Actual performance will depend on regolith layering, local strength, anchor-regolith interface behavior, installation disturbance, cyclic loading, and anchorage geometry. The staged use of an ideal fixed boundary for the upper structure and a passive pressure model for the foundation clarified that the two assumptions were applied at different analytical stages. The first lateral natural frequency decreased as the exposed support height increased, and part of the investigated range could overlap with the frequency range adopted for the moonquake analysis. This overlap indicated the possibility of response amplification rather than inevitable resonance. For the representative 15 m case, the calculated first lateral natural frequency was 2.957 Hz. With a TMD mass ratio of 0.05, the conceptual TMD mass was 7.723 kg, the tuning frequency was 2.816 Hz, the damping coefficient was 34.72 N·s/m, and the stiffness was approximately 2.41 kN/m. These values defined a theoretical tuning scale and did not constitute a validated lunar seismic control design. Conclusions Elevated photovoltaic deployment at the lunar south pole should be treated as a system-level trade-off linking dust exposure, terrain-limited illumination, spatial utilization, support stiffness, anchorage demand, and dynamic response. The proposed pennant-type, canopy-deployment, and windmill-type photovoltaic array configurations provided a common basis for comparing three-dimensional layouts and load transfer characteristics. Under the adopted conceptual assumptions, deflection governed support sizing, the required anchorage scale increased with support height and safety factor, and the first lateral natural frequency decreased with increasing height. A TMD could serve as a candidate measure for controlling the first lateral mode, but its effectiveness requires verification using multi-degree-of-freedom models, site-specific seismic inputs, and environmental testing. Fixed photovoltaic installations may serve as long-term backbone power nodes, whereas retractable photovoltaic systems mounted on mobile platforms may provide complementary distributed power. Both approaches require reliable stabilization and anchorage during operation. The proposed framework provides a basis for site-specific optimization, layered regolith-anchor interaction analysis, coupled dynamic modeling, and staged ground verification of elevated lunar photovoltaic systems.
月震具有衰减缓慢、持续时间较长等特点,高位细长结构在特定频率条件下可能产生较大的动力响应,因此有必要在结构设计中考虑相应的振动控制措施。受航空航天工程对质量、可靠性及系统复杂度的约束,候选减振装置应具有构型相对简单、作用机理明确且便于长期运行等特点。调谐质量阻尼器(tuned mass damper,TMD)已在高层建筑、风机等细长结构的振动控制中得到广泛研究,其通过针对目标模态进行调谐,可在特定频率范围内降低主体结构的振动响应。鉴于本文高位单杆支撑结构以第一阶侧向模态为主要分析对象,因此将TMD作为一种候选减振措施进行概念参数设计。
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