초록

An elastic space-deployable boom of carbon fiber reinforced plastic or other resilient material having an open substantially triangular cross-section when deployed and stowed with a flattened cross-section about a circular hub.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. A boom structure of a resilient material that is elastically deployable from a flattened configuration stowed around a circular hub to a deployed configuration approximately forming an open substantially triangular cross-section, said boom structure comprising:a. a circu

The invention claimed is: 1. A boom structure of a resilient material that is elastically deployable from a flattened configuration stowed around a circular hub to a deployed configuration approximately forming an open substantially triangular cross-section, said boom structure comprising:a. a circular hub;b. first and second rectangular flanges each having a similar shorter dimension or height, a longer dimension or length, and a width dimension or thickness, wherein each flange has an outer and inner face;c. means for permanently attaching together said flanges along a first end of their heights for their entire lengths along the inner faces to form a ridge joint, said ridge joint being of approximately one quarter of said flange height of the inner faces, wherein the ridge joint can endure any shear stresses induced by being put into said flattened configuration;d. an arc portion of each flange immediately below said ridge joint having a radius of curvature R, said radius of curvature being approximately the smallest radius that said flanges can have and still be flatted without buckling and without material damage while being stowed around said circular hub,wherein when the boom structure is in the deployed configuration the first flange is separated from the second flange by a desired angle at the height end opposite said ridge joint and when in the flattened configuration the inner faces of the rectangular flanges are abutting.