Wrinkling of a Membrane with a Curved Small Thin Film

Abstract

In the operation of a solar power sail IKAROS, curved thin-film solar cells were assumed to make the membrane deformed. The deformation caused propellant consumption to counteract windmill torque. For a next solar power sail in the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, we conducted experiments and finite element simulations of a simplified model of a part of the solar power sail to understand the effect of a small curved thin-film on wrinkles in a thin membrane under uniaxial tension force. We compared shapes of the membrane with the curved thin-film solar cell under varying tension force. Main findings are that wrinkle lines near both lateral sides of a small curved thin film are bended by curvature of the film and occur under varying tension force.