On the Behavior of Folded Tape-Springs

Abstract

Tape-springs are thin-walled beams with a curved cross section that can be elastically deformed to yield a flexible region of high curvature known as a fold. This feature is exploited in the folding and self-deployment of a number of recently proposed deployable structures. This study characterizes the quasi-static response of a folded tape-spring under a prescribed rotation and separation between its support points. It is shown that the corresponding end loads and fold shape are accurately predicted by a variational technique, and are confirmed by a finite element analysis. This information may then be used in further design of tape-spring hinge systems.