Furlable Sail with Shear Take-Up and Structural Sheet
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Solution Overview
Problem
Deployable sail systems face challenges in sail support, stowage, and deployment, particularly in maintaining structural integrity and preventing issues like telescoping and ballooning during deployment and stowage.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a furlable sail system that includes a furlable boom and a shear take-up mechanism with springs, coupled with a structural sheet made of fiber-reinforced polymer composite, and a hold-down and release mechanism with a restraint strap to manage tension and prevent telescoping, along with a slit-tube boom with high-strain composite material for tailored deployment energy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional lateral supports are used to maintain structural integrity, then strength is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes traditional lateral supports (battens) from the sail structure. Instead, the sail membrane itself is engineered with varying bending stiffness to provide structural support, eliminating unnecessary components and reducing device complexity while maintaining strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The sail membrane incorporates non-uniform bending stiffness distribution, with stiffer regions at critical locations (leading edge, trailing edge, and radial ribs) and more flexible regions elsewhere. This local quality variation provides structural integrity where needed without requiring lateral supports throughout the entire sail.
2Area of moving object
If the sail is fully deployed, then area is improved, but stability deteriorates due to telescoping and ballooning
Solution Approach 1:
The sail membrane features spatially varying bending stiffness with rigid radial ribs and flexible inter-rib regions. This local quality differentiation prevents telescoping by maintaining shape at critical locations while allowing controlled deformation in other areas, and prevents ballooning through the stiffened leading and trailing edges.
Solution Approach 2:
The sail design allows dynamic adaptation of its structural properties through the varying bending stiffness distribution. The flexible inter-rib regions enable the sail to adjust its shape dynamically during deployment and operation, maintaining stability while achieving full area deployment.
3Volume of moving object
If the sail is compactly stowed, then volume is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to crep and telescoping
Solution Approach 1:
The sail is stowed in a compact rolled configuration within a cylindrical dispenser, with the furlable boom nested alongside. This nesting arrangement achieves compact stowage volume while the varying bending stiffness structure prevents crep and telescoping during the stowed phase, maintaining reliability.
4Ease of operation
If self-deployment is implemented, then ease of operation is improved, but control precision worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The sail and boom are pre-assembled with the varying bending stiffness structure and radial ribs in the desired final configuration before stowage. This preliminary action ensures that when self-deployment occurs, the structure naturally assumes the correct shape with high precision, combining ease of operation with deployment precision.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system allows for self-supporting, efficient deployment and stowage of the sail without traditional lateral supports, preventing creep and telescoping, while maintaining structural integrity and adaptability for various applications such as deorbit sails and solar sails.
Implementation Method 1
The shear take-up mechanism may include one or more springs coupled with the root end of the furlable sail
Implementation Method 2
The shear take-up mechanism may include one or more springs coupled with the root end of the furlable sail
Implementation Method 3
The high-strain composite laminate geometry and/or material may be tailored along the slit-tube axial length to vary the deployment energy, authority and/or behavior
Data Source
AI summary
Furlable sail devices, systems, and methods are provided in accordance with various embodiments. For example, some embodiments include a system and/or device that may include: a furlable boom; a furlable sail coupled with a distal end of the furlable boom; and/or a shear take-up mechanism coupled with a root end of the furlable sail. In some embodiments, the shear take-up mechanism applies tension to the furlable sail. The shear-take up mechanism may include one or more springs coupled with the root end of the furlable sail. In some embodiments, the furlable sheet includes a structural sheet. The structural sheet may include one or more areas with bending stiffness. The structural sheet may be fabricated to be self-supporting. In some embodiments, the furlable boom includes a slit-tube boom. Some embodiments may be configured as deorbit sails.