A Curvature-Tunable Deployable Origami Boom With Facet-Integrated Self-Locking Mechanism

Abstract

Abstract. Recent advances in technology have expanded the space industry, but there are still volume limitations on carriers, which translates directly into cost. Deployable structures can overcome these limitations and are used especially in space in a variety of ways. In this article, this study proposes a curvature-adjustable origami boom incorporating a plane-induced based self-locking mechanism. The Kirigami locker, which deploys with the pattern and is self-locking, can increase rigidity while minimizing the increase in storage volume. By utilizing the characteristics of the Miura pattern, the results show a difference in compressive and bending stiffness of up to 6.29 and 3.5 times, respectively, with and without the locking segment. In addition, the curvature can be freely designed through pattern variation, and booms with multiple curvatures can be produced. This enables the design of a variety of highly rigid and deployable structures, ranging from small sizes such as tables to large structures, including shelters and masts, which can be deployed with few degrees-of-freedom.