Abstract: With the development of space optical technology, diffraction imaging system has become a research hotspot in the field of space optics. In this paper, a structural design scheme of an inflatable membrane diffraction imaging structures is presented. Thermodynamic coupling effects of inflatable structures under the space thermal environment were studied. A coupled thermalstructural sequence analysis framework for inflatable structures was developed. The thermalstructural coupling analysis of the inflatable structure was realized by IDEAS and ANSYS secondary development technology. The transient heat transfer, thermal stress and thermal deformation of the structures in orbit were investigated. The results show that there is large thermal deformation in the inflatable support structures, but the maximum thermal stress is much less than the tensile strength of the polyimide membrane,and there is no large thermal deformation response at the center of the structures. The technology support for thermal protection design of inflatable membrane diffraction imaging structures is provided.

Key words: membrane diffraction imaging structures, inflatable deployment, thermalstructural coupling analysis, transient heat transfer, thermal deformation, space optics