Aerospace Knowledge and Technology Journal

Aerospace Knowledge and Technology Journal

Structural and functional analysis of a composite space capsule under aeromechanical, thermal, and structural loads: effects of material and geometric configuration

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
hassan Naseh 1
Hadiseh Karimaei 2
Mohammad Lesani Fadafan 3
1 Associate Professor, Aerospace Research Institute, Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, Tehran, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Aerospace Research Institute, Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, Tehran, Iran
3 Ph.D. Student, Aerospace Research Institute, Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
The design of composite space capsules requires a comprehensive evaluation of the coupled effects of the geometric parameters and laminate characteristics on structural and overall performance. In this study, the results obtained from a multidisciplinary design optimization framework developed for a composite space capsule are analytically investigated. Surrogate models based on the Kriging method are employed to predict structural deformation and total capsule mass. Parametric analysis indicates that layer thickness, the number of composite layers, and the semi-cone angle significantly affect structural deformation. A comparison of aluminum 6061, carbon–epoxy, and glass–epoxy materials demonstrates the superior structural stiffness of carbon–epoxy, although at a higher cost. Furthermore, trajectory and aerodynamic heating analyses show that the capsule geometry and mass directly influence atmospheric re-entry dynamics and stagnation-point heat flux. The findings of the current paper provide practical design considerations for balancing structural performance, mass, and thermal loading in the composite space capsule design.
Keywords
Re-entry capsule
Carbon/epoxy composite
Glass/epoxy composite
Sensitivity analysis
Structural analysis
Aerodynamic heating
Kriging surrogate model.
Subjects
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Aerospace Knowledge and Technology Journal
Volume 15, Issue 1
September 2026
Pages 69-96