Deployment Experiments of Conceptual Model for Two-Dimensional Self-Deployable Space Structures with Convex-Panels

Abstract

Deployable structures facilitate the reduction of the stowed volume in CubeSat. In this investigation, an initially deflected panel called a “convex-panel” is proposed. The convex-panel generates a self-deployment force during deployment and has a higher bending stiffness after deployment with a reduced thickness. This results in a reduction in the stowed volume of the deployable flat-panel structures. To demonstrate the feasibility of the convex-panel, deployment experiments were conducted with conceptual models. Based on these experiments, higher self-deployment velocities were observed in the beginning and the last deployment stages, and complete deployment was achieved via appropriate arrangements of the convex-panels. These results demonstrated the feasibility of the convex-panel for the self-deployable structures used in CubeSat.