Modal Analyses of Deployable Truss Structures Based on Shape Memory Polymer Composites

Abstract

With large spatial deployable antennas used more widely, the stability of deployable antennas is attracting more attention. The form of the support structure is an important factor of the antenna’s natural frequency, which is essential to study to prevent the resonance. The deployable truss structures based on shape memory polymer composites (SMPCs) have made themselves feasible for their unique properties such as highly reliable, low-cost, light weight, and self-deployment without complex mechanical devices compared with conventional deployable masts. This study offers deliverables as follows: an establishment of three-longeron beam and three-longeron truss finite element models by using ABAQUS; calculation of natural frequencies and vibration modes; parameter studies for influence on their dynamic properties; manufacture of a three-longeron truss based on SMPC, and modal test of the three-longeron truss. The results show that modal test and finite element simulation fit well.

Bending shape recovery of unidirectional carbon fiber reinforced epoxy-based shape memory polymer composites

“…The carbon fiber or fabric reinforcement in SMP composites enhances the general mechanical performance of these laminates, and especially their shape recovery force [4,5,7]. SMP composites also feature low density, adjustable Tg and high damping capability, which make these active composites suitable for aerospace applications, such as hinges, trusses, antennas, and solar arrays [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13].…”

“…These latter papers could be broadly divided into two categories: one related to unidirectional fiber reinforced SMP composites and their microstructural mechanisms occurring during bending [7,8,10,[14][15][16][17][18]. The other group of papers concerns the analysis of the thermo-mechanical behavior of fabric reinforced SMP composites [11][12][13][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]. Since 1999, Composite Technology Development, Inc. has been developing SMPs and related fiber reinforced composites (Elastic Memory Composite, EMC) [7,8,14,15,20].…”

Mechanical Models, Structures, and Applications of Shape-Memory Polymers and Their Composites

“…Shapememory polymers and their composites have many advantages, such as high malleability, highly adjustable transition temperature, various driving methods, low impact during deployment, and biocompatibility. All of these properties have potential applications in a wide range of fields including aerospace, flexible electronics, and bioengineering [23][24][25][26][27][28].…”

A modified phase‐based constitutive model for shape memory polymers

“…One major shortcoming of these early models is that they can qualitatively but not quantitatively predict the deformational behavior of SMPs. To more accurately describe the thermomechanical behaviors of SMPs, the rheological models are improved by increasing the number of linear or nonlinear elements, which leads to the fact that most of the present rheological models have many parameters. For example, more than 31 parameters in the model of Diani et al .…”