Experimental Study of Bistable Behaviors of Deployable Composite Structure

Abstract

The bistable behaviors of deployable composite shell structures are experimentally studied. First, carbon/epoxy and glass/epoxy thin-walled composite shell structures are fabricated using resin transfer mould technology, respectively. Second, deployable behaviors of the thin-walled composite shell structure are investigated including deployable process, bending moment, and flexural radius. Finally, the bistable critical conditions of the thin-walled composite shell structure are discussed. The results show that the bistable behaviors of composite structure are directly related with material type, material properties and lay-ups.