Deploying Ability Analyses of a Folded Hoop-Rib Space Deployable Structure

Abstract

New large deployable mesh reflectors are frequently used recently, which are with much lower surface density but much more complicated constructions of their paraboloid surfaces. We propose a new simplified large deployable reflector structure, which can be called folded hoop-rib structure. It is similar to half structure of the AstroMesh reflector. Deploying ability is one of the key demands for a large deployable structure. Through dynamic simulations, our new structure can be deployed successfully. Through an actual small model test, it can also be deployed successfully with the similar deploying process to the corresponding dynamic simulation analysis. Such a new design has many excellent synthetic advantages. The folded hoop-rib structure backbone can be used for even larger deployable reflectors in the future.