Abstract
Multifunctional structures offer savings in spacecraft mass and volume by combining the functional elements of subsystems with structural components. However, the benefit of these mass and volume savings can be outweighed by the cost of the materials and processes required for their manufacture. This paper presents a compromise, taking advantage of some of the mass and volume savings associated with multifunctional structures, whilst remaining relatively low in price. By taking commercial electrical cells, and integrating them into the structure, the parasitic mass of the power subsystem is eliminated and the structural properties of the cells harnessed to produce a multifunctional powerstructure. In this work, prismatic plastic lithium-ion cells are used as part of the core of a carbon fibre sandwich panel, along with aluminium honeycomb. This makes use of the batteries' structural properties and also removes their volume from the spacecraft bus to an area that would otherwise be filled with inert material. The paper assesses the feasibility of this concept. Firstly, a vibration test has been successfully conducted to prove the ability of such cells to survive the launching environment. Secondly, a panel has been successfully manufactured using these cells as described, without serious damage to the cells' performance.