Abstract: To meet the needs of on orbit assembly of super large (kilometer level) space structures, a brand new assembly interface for large space structures is designed and its assembly performance is analyzed in detail. Firstly, a pure mechanical double lock assembly interface is designed in detail. Secondly, the interface kinematics model is established to analyze the tolerance performance of the assembly interface. The results show that the  X direction tolerance is 14.25 mm, the  Z direction tolerance is 15.84 mm, the angular tolerances around the X, Y and Z axes are 5.65°, 5.51°and 5.34°respectively. Finally, the docking interface is simulated by ADAMS to verify the correctness of the tolerance analysis. The nonlinear relationships among the contact force, the static friction coefficient, the thrust of the manipulator and the impact cone angle are obtained. The results lay a foundation for the design of a space docking mechanism.

Key words: On orbit assembly, Assembly interface, Structure design, Kinematics, Tolerance performance