Coilable Thin-Walled Longerons for Space Structures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current space-based solar structures face challenges in achieving commercially viable energy production due to high launch costs, necessitating compact and lightweight designs that compromise structural integrity, particularly in the thickness and weight of support members.
Innovation Solution
The development of coilable thin-walled longerons with variable curvature and multi-layer composite laminates, which can be coiled and uncoiled to reduce volume and weight while maintaining structural integrity, using materials like carbon fiber and glass fiber with temperature-cured resins, and employing a process involving flattening and coiling around cylindrical hubs to minimize stress concentrations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If support members are made thinner and lighter to reduce weight, then weight is reduced, but structural integrity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs multi-layer composite laminates consisting of alternating layers of rigid material (e.g., carbon fiber, glass fiber) and flexible material (e.g., polymer resin). This composite structure provides high strength-to-weight ratio, enabling thin-walled construction while maintaining structural integrity. The rigid layers provide stiffness and strength, while the flexible layers provide toughness and damage tolerance, resolving the contradiction between weight reduction and structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes thin-walled structures with controlled curvature that can flexibly deform during coiling and deployment. The thin walls are designed with specific curvature radii and thickness ratios that allow them to bend without kinking or fracturing, enabling weight reduction while maintaining sufficient structural integrity through geometric design rather than increased material thickness.
2Volume of moving object
If support members are made thinner and lighter to reduce volume, then volume is reduced, but structural integrity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The multi-layer composite laminate structure achieves high structural integrity in a thin profile by combining rigid and flexible materials. The rigid layers (carbon fiber, glass fiber) provide high stiffness and strength per unit thickness, while the flexible polymer layers provide toughness and damage resistance, enabling volume reduction without compromising structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes critical parameters including wall thickness (t), curvature radius (R), and material properties to achieve a specific t/R ratio that enables thin-walled structures to maintain structural integrity while minimizing volume. The curvature radius is carefully controlled to prevent kinking during coiling, and wall thickness is optimized to provide sufficient strength without excessive volume.
3Volume of moving object
If thin-walled structures are coiled tightly to reduce packaged volume, then packaged volume is reduced, but risk of kinking and fracture increases
Solution Approach 1:
The thin-walled structures are designed with specific curvature radii that allow them to flexibly deform during coiling without kinking. The walls are thin enough to bend easily but thick enough to resist fracture, with curvature radii carefully selected to match the coiling radius, enabling tight packaging while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-layer composite laminate with alternating rigid and flexible layers provides both stiffness and toughness, allowing the structure to withstand the stresses of tight coiling without kinking or fracturing. The flexible polymer layers absorb bending stresses and prevent crack propagation, while the rigid layers maintain structural shape, enabling reliable tight packaging.
Solution Approach 3:
The patent employs controlled curvature in the thin-walled structures, with specific radius of curvature values selected to match the coiling radius. This curvature design allows the structures to smoothly follow the coiling path without sharp bends that would cause kinking, while maintaining sufficient structural integrity to resist fracture during tight packaging.
Data Source
AI summary
Multi-functional coilable thin-walled structures that can be implemented within space-based satellite modules, and methods for their manufacture are provided. Multi-functional coilable thin-walled structures are comprised of at least one longeron that is capable of rolling and collapsing upon itself. In some embodiments, the coilable thin-walled longeron is a flange longeron. The flange longeron contains at least two major regions: a web and a plurality of flanges. The web region comprises portions of flanges that are bonded to one another. The plurality of flanges separate from one another on the same end of the web region. The plurality of flanges are similar in thickness and shape.