Morphing composite cylindrical lattices with enhanced bending stiffness

A key aspect in the design of deployable space structures comprising slender elements such as booms is their deployed bending stiffness. In space, due to zero gravitational loading, a high level stiffness not required support neighbouring structures, but instead desirable resist vibrations generated by attitude control system. The morphing composite cylindrical lattice that under development structure with significant potential for applications however, concepts developed so far may lack sufficient Therefore, current work focuses on developing method increasing stiffness, while minimising any increase both mass and stowed volume. These goals are achieved using additional strips mounted adjacent concentric pre-existing strips. attached fasteners, thus, only weight finite element model new configuration validated comparison experimental results. For this comparison, three different configurations were manufactured, two lattices conventional strip configuration, an eight-strip four-strip lattice, third work. 32% less stiff, however it weights 33% stows approximately half height. Compared weighs 75% more, 281% stiffer stowing same By makes more viable candidate structures.