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mechanical and fluid systems
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COROTUB Corrugated Rollable Tubular Boom
Deployable composite booms are particularly attractive in space constrained applications. Their high packaging volume efficiency enables relatively large spacecraft systems required for power generation, communications, or propulsion to be housed within small volumes. COROTUB is a monolithic closed-section tubular thin-shelled structure thats been shown to scale efficiently up to 50m yet maintain its strength. COROTUBs two corrugated thin shells form a closed section, which yields high bending and torsional stiffness, allowing for high dimensional stability. Computational analysis and early tests show that the corrugation provides increased strength against buckling, enabling longer booms and targeting more demanding structural applications than non-corrugated designs. The corrugation geometry that dictates the boom cross-section shape was informed by parametric studies to optimize the parameters that most influence the cross-sections area moment of inertia and torsional constant. The corrugated designs were found to improve the boom bending and axial strength and to shorten the length of the boom transition from flat/rolled to deployed.
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