Abstract:
Concept of solar sailing which uses solar energy to
propel a spacecraft is becoming popular as a low-cost spacecraft
propulsion system. These solar sails require larger area while in
operation and are stored in the limited space available in launch
vehicles by introducing series of fold-lines. Therefore, precise
prediction of deployment behaviour is important in designing
tear-free deployment configurations. Physical testing of such
applications is difficult due to presence of gravity, air drag and
friction which prevent such structures from deploying on Earth.
Hence deployment of solar sails has to be tested under vacuum
and zero gravity conditions. Virtual simulations are being used
to overcome these challenges. This paper attempts to understand
deployment behaviour of highly compacted thin membranes and
highlight the importance of incorporating fold-line properties in
finite element modelling. The effects of membrane thickness and
creased geometry for the deployment behaviour and deployment
force were also studied through force–displacement relationship
of the membrane opening. It is shown that the connection with
rotational stiffness gives better idealization for the fold-line in
virtual environment. Further it is evident that the deployment
force and shape have a significant influence from membrane
thickness and fold-line geometry.
Citation:
C. Piyumi and C. Mallikarachchi, "Influence of Intersected Fold-Lines on Thin-Folded Membranes," 2020 Moratuwa Engineering Research Conference (MERCon), 2020, pp. 30-35, doi: 10.1109/MERCon50084.2020.9185241.