Determining folded stable state of bistable deployable composite boom: An improved two-parameter analytical model

• Published in: Acta astronautica 2023-12, Vol.213, p.507-515
• Main Authors: Liu, Tian-Wei, Bai, Jiang-Bo, Wang, Zhen-Zhou, Fantuzzi, Nicholas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Archimedes' helix; Bistable; Deployable composite boom; Failure criterion
• ISSN: 0094-5765; 1879-2030
• DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2023.09.018

The bistable deployable composite boom (Bi-DCB) has garnered considerable interest in the space industry due to its lightweight design, ease of manufacturing, simple structure, and high controllability. In this study, an improved two-parameter analytical model proposed to investigate the folded stable state of the Bi-DCB. The analytical model drew inspiration from the classical Archimedes' helix and utilized the principle of minimum energy to anticipate the folded stable state of the Bi-DCB. Furthermore, two classic failure criteria were utilized to determine the failure indices of six Bi-DCBs in their folded stable state. To verify the accuracy of the improved two-parameter analytical model, a comparison was made between the predicted results and those obtained from both experimental data and two finite element models (FEMs), which demonstrate strong agreement. The results suggest that the Bi-DCB has great potential as a promising alternative for deployable structures, thanks to its superior mechanical properties and ease of deployment. •Bistable deployable composite boom has high controllability and broad applications.•Improved analytical models developed to predict folded stable state.•Validation shows strong consistency with experimental and numerical results.•Bistable deployable composite booms achieve bistable functionality without failure.•Improved analytical model has higher prediction accuracy than classical models.