The Design And Analysis Of Inflatable Self-rigidizable Boom

The space inflatable technology is a brand new technology;it has the very unique superiority in fabricating ultra-large space structures. Space inflatable structures are usually made from large thin membranes, and they are of ultra-lightweight, small package volume, low cost, and high deployable reliability. Space inflatable booms are one dimension deployable structures;they are the basic elements of space structures such as inflatable antennas, solar arrays, telescopes.The inflatable self-rigidizable boom studied in this paper is comprised of aluminum laminates and tape springs. The aluminum laminates are rigidizable materials, and the tape springs attached to the inner wall of the boom are the main load-support components. The inflatable self-rigidizable boom is simply made, strong, inexpensive, ultra-light, of low package volume, and the rigidize method is simple and reliable.The domestic and abroad state of art of the inflatable structures is introduced, and also the merits of inflatable structures. By comparing various kinds of deployable booms, a solution is brought forward, that is the inflatable self-rigidizable boom. The material parameter, geometry parameter and performance parameter of the boom is also concluded. Two models have been introduced to predict the collapse moment of a flexible inflatable boom. The rigidize pressure of aluminum laminates is predicted and the tape spring is studied to determine the most excellent section. An inflatable/rigidizable boom and an inflatable self-rigidizable boom are made, and their mechanical characters are studied.Finally, the inflatable boom deployment control methods and their deployment control mechanisms are introduced. The deployment control method used in this paper is studied, that is the so-called Velcro deployment control mechanisms. An experiment is conducted to testify its feasibility. A numerical method is also introduced to simulate the deployment of the inflatable self-rigidizable boom.