New material for deployable devices

If booms and other devices are deployed in an uncontrollable way in space, it can jeopardise the integrity of the deployed components or the spacecraft itself.

Carbon Fibre Reinforced Flexible Epoxy resins (CFRFE) have demonstrated (in a previous TDE) project to be customizable. The stiffness and damping of the constitutive material of a deployable structure, made with thin composite laminates, was shown to be just as compliant but also to deploy in a smoother way than another one made with classic CFRP (with 100% rigid epoxy resin).

A new activity with TDE and Prosix Engineering in Spain, has  ddemonstrated the feasibility, use and functionality of CFRFE materials for self-deployable space structures. Ultimately showing that by using CFRFE, the boom would deploy 30 per cent more slowly.

The activity showed this by designing, simulating, manufacturing and testing a classic CFRP deployable tape-spring hinge against the new  CFRFE deployable tape-spring hinge to compare their dynamic behaviours.

First, CFRFE materials with different flexibility and rigid epoxy properties were characterised according to their tensile, bending, damping, creep and thermal cycling strengths. This showed the material as being capable  of all customization that might be needed for the product.

Next, a CFRFE boom was designed, manufactured and tested and compared with a classic CFRP boom.

Finally, deployment tests with a mass on the boom tip have shown that the CFRFE boom reaches a final speed that is 30 per cent slower than the classic CFRP, and, unlike the classic model, it does not buckle. Stiffness tests have shown that both booms have the same stiffness in their deployed state- a fundamental requirement.

Ultimately, the activity demonstrated that extremely light and passive deployable structures can be manufactured with CFRFE to have smoother deployments, reducing weight, cost and risk  while still meeting  stiffness requirements, with respect to classic CFRP deployable structures

Next, the activity plans to include this CFRFE deployable boom in the development of a space component such as an antenna or reflector to raise the TRL.

TDE Activity 4000124219 closed in January 2021.