Deployable membrane structures with rolled-up booms and their deployment characteristics

Based on geometrical considerations on folding patterns of disk-like flat surfaces, deployable membrane structures with rolled-up booms and deployment behaviors of those conceptual models are presented. Newly developed bi-convex tape booms covered by braid, which deploy from rolled-up configuration by their own stowed elastic energy without any actuators, are applied for two types of deployable membrane space structures; one is with hoop booms (hoop design) and the other is with rib booms (rib design). Hoop design structures are introduced using small conceptual models, and their deployment is demonstrated. As rib design structures, conceptual models suitable for stepwise deployment procedure are developed, and their various deployment aspets are shown in detail.