Stability analysis of an origami helical antenna using geometrically exact fully intrinsic nonlinear composite beam theory

Abstract

A reconfigurable structure of antenna improves electromagnetic (EM) performance and its capability compared with other designs. The design satisfies both EM and mechanical needs simultaneously. This paper studies the stability analysis of a foldable helical antenna with the Kresling origami pattern, which is subjected to tip follower force. The structure of the antenna is simulated using the geometrically-exact, fully intrinsic nonlinear composite beam theory of Hodges. The cross-sectional properties of the antenna’s structure are obtained using the Variational Asymptotic Beam Sectional (VABS) analysis. While the results of the stability analysis are in agreement with commercial finite element tools, the numerical platform developed in this paper offers significant computational advantages. In a case study, the stability analysis based on the Hopf-bifurcation method is presented for a foldable helical antenna made from Kapton and fabric. The behavior of eigenvalues and mode shapes for this antenna are also studied. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of several geometrical parameters on the stability of the antenna, such as the number of polygon sides, height, and the element length ratio. The results indicate the antenna stability changes significantly by increasing the element length ratio and the number of polygon sides.