The Research Of Spring-tape-reinforced Inflatable Self-rigidizable Boom

The space inflatable technology is a brand new technology. It has marked superiority in fabricating ultra-large space structures ,such as small package volume and lightweight. It has broad requirement and expansive foreground in space technology field. Inflatable self-rigidizable boom is one of the technology which is used regularity. Spring tape is used to rigidize the boom.Spring-tape-reinforced(STR) inflatable self-rigidizable boom studied in this paper is composed of laminated complex aluminum, spring tape and cirque which is used to keep the shape of self-rigidizable boom. The laminated complex aluminum is rigidizable materials, the spring tape affixed along the boom and the shape-keeping cirques are the main load support structures. STR inflatable self-rigidizable boom has lots of virtues, it is easy to fabricate, has a small package volume, inexpensive, has a simple the rigidize method and ultra-light.The domestic and abroad state of art of inflatable structures is introduced first in this paper. Be coupled with practice project, we designed the components of STR boom one by one, such as end head, shape-keeping cirques. we confirmed the geometric dimensions of each component and designed the connections between the components. we also produced five STR boom which is one meter long and also a STR boom which is five meters long. we solved many problems which appeared in the making procedure and improved the producing workmanship.In this paper, we analyzed the hole structure with finite element method, then made a one meter long boom and did an experiment of axle load. In order to search better geometric dimensions, we also analyzed the effect of dimensions and defects.