In known manner, a satellite takes the form of a support structure to which various devices of the satellite are fixed.
The support structure of the satellite is mainly made up of structural elements connected to one another, for example including a frame and a set of panels fixed to said frame. The panels may also be assembled to one another by flat angle brackets, making it possible to dispense with the frame.
The devices of the satellite fixed to the support structure are platform devices (fuel tanks, batteries, telemetry/telecommand antennas, etc.) or payload devices (measuring instruments, telecommunication antennas, etc.).
Vibrations present in a satellite support structure propagate to the various devices of said satellite and notably to the measuring instruments of said satellite.
Vibrations present in the support structure can have a number of causes. For example, when the satellite is launched, the support structure is subjected to vibrations of high amplitude. Moreover, the separation of the stages of the launch vehicle and the pyrotechnic shocks for deploying the appendages can generate shocks in the support structure. In orbit, the actuators of an inertial center of the satellite (for example reaction wheels, gyroscopes, etc.) generate vibrations, of low amplitude compared to the vibrations during launch in particular, that are propagated from said actuators to the measuring instruments via the support structure.
In order to damp the vibrations of a support structure (i.e. to attenuate the amplitude of the vibrations without significantly modifying the resonance modes of the support structure), it is known to fix elastomer means to the areas of said support structure that are deformed the most because the vibrations excite a mode of local resonance of the support structure.
These elastomer means, of flexible stiffness in the direction of deformation of the support structure, are therefore placed in parallel with said support structure. These elastomer means are deformed by the effect of deformations of the support structure and contribute to damping the vibrations of the support structure. For greater efficacy, the preferential mode of deformation of the elastomer means is the shear mode.
However, the vibrations of the support structure are damped only over a very particular area of the support structure (local resonance mode) with the result that it is not possible to damp the vibrations in a wide range of frequencies. In particular it is therefore not possible to damp the vibrations induced by a shock, which in principle cover a very wide range of frequencies and propagate throughout the support structure.