Project
The project consists in the creation of the technical 3D model, at very high detail, of the Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT).
Sardinia Radio Telescope
- CLIENT: University of Cagliari, Department of Civil Engineering and INAF.
- YEAR: 2014
Info
The project has been commissioned by the University of Cagliari, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile e Ambientale, and INAF, Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica. Both institution have provided technical advice for the generation of the 3D model.
To carry out the project over 5000 CAD tables have been analysed to extract the information necessary for the generation of single elements model, which were in turn used for assembling the overall radio telescope.
The completed project includes: very high detailed 3D CAD model, 3D mesh model made by more than 30 million of polygons, an optimized 3D model.
Project steps:
- Analysis and elaboration of technical documentation
- Technical advice
- Generation of 3D models of the single parts
- Assembling of the whole structure from the single 3D models
- Generation of the whole 3D model in CAD format
- Generation of the 3D model in triangular mesh format
- Generation of the high-detail optimized 3D model
The Sardinia Radio Telescope is a frontier instrument in technology, concerning both the electronic equipment and the mechanical components. It can be oriented with a precision of 1/10000 degrees. The alidade on the top of which the main mirror is assembled is a 50 m-high steel structure able to hold up both the mirror and its movement mechanisms, ensuring the rotatory movement by means of 16 wheels running along a circular rail of 40 m in diameter. The overall load on the rail is 3000 tons.
The main mirror is composed of 1008 aluminium panels, operated by 1116 electro-actuators and assembled to form an active surface of 64 m in diameter. The radio telescope is oriented towards the selected point by 12 engines, 4 of which control the elevation and the remaining 8 the azimuth.
The instrument can be operated in 4 different focal positions; for each of them the scheduled replacement of the receivers is carried out through an automated device. Thanks to its features, the Sardinia Radio Telescope is able to receive signals in the frequency range between 0.3 and 100 GHz. The electronic instrumentation is synchronized by means of the atomic clocks of the Time and Frequency Laboratory of the Astronomical Observatory of Cagliari.
