Stability of nonlinear vibrations of a deploying flexible beam from a spacecraft

Abstract

In this paper, stability of a complex spacecraft is studied by the use of two new models. The first, is a rigid-flexible model, which consists of a rigid body and a deploying flexible beam; while the second, includes a liquid filled rigid body with a deploying flexible beam. In particular, the deploying beam in both models is assumed to have a finite deflection profile. It has been proved that nonlinear transverse vibrations of a beam are stable when undergoing uniform extension or retrieval.