Sheath-Based Rollable Lenticular-Shaped and Low-Stiction Composite Boom

摘要

Various embodiments provide rollable and deployable composite booms that may be used in a wide range of applications both for space and terrestrial structural solutions. Various embodiment composite booms may be bistable, i.e. having a stable strain energy minimum in the coiled configuration as well as the in the deployed configuration. In various embodiments, a boom may be fabricated by aligning two independent tape-springs front-to-front encircled by a durable seamless polymer sleeve. The durable seamless polymer sleeve may allow the two tape-springs to slide past each other during the coiling/deployment process so as to reduce, e.g., minimize, shear and its derived problems.

主权项

1. A composite boom, comprising:
a polymer sleeve; a first tape-spring; and a second tape-spring, wherein:
the first and second tape-springs are encircled by the polymer sleeve without being structurally affixed together; andthe first and second tape-springs slide relative to one another inside the polymer sleeve during coiling and deployment of the bistable composite boom.