Abstract
Propellant migration in microgravity is a critical challenge for in-space fuel storage and transfer. Origami fuel bladders are a new design solution to prevent cracking in polymeric materials within the cryogenic regime. This paper explores manufacturing techniques for producing origami bladders as well as the limits of possible thicknesses for origami bladders. Origami bladders are manufactured from polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG). Hand folded bladders follow a Kresling bellows origami pattern while the thermoformed samples are prepared using a mold of the Kresling bellows and an EZFORM LV 1827 thermoformer is used to shape the polymeric film. Compressive fatigue testing is carried out within liquid nitrogen to confirm the sample can survive deformation at cryogenic temperatures. Hand folded origami bellows specimens survived 3300+ cycles with minimal signs of degradation, while similar PVDF specimens cracked in fewer than 10 cycles.
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