DETERMINATION OF THE FEASIBILITY OF FABRICATING ROLL UP SELF-DEPLOYING SPACE STRUCTURES

CONCEPT ANALYSIS CORPORATION (CAC) PROPOSES TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF FABRICATING SELF DEPLOYING SPACE STRUCTURES WHICH DO NOT USE ACTUATORS. IN PHASE I, CAC WILL EVALUATE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PLASTIC MEMORY PHENOMENA WHICH COULD BE USED AS A SELF DEPLOYING MECHANISM. PHASE II IS ENVISIONED FOR DEVELOPMENT AND FULL SCALE TESTING. PLASTIC MEMORY IS RECOGNIZED AS THE TENDANCY OF A STRUCTURE TO RETURN TO ITS ORIGINAL SHAPE AFTER BEING DEPLOYED UNDER LOAD AND HEAT. COMPACT ROLLABILITY FOR SPACE TRAVEL, THEN SELF DEPLOYMENT ARE THE GOALS AT WHICH PLASTIC MEMORY IS AIMED. THERMOPLASTIC MATERIALS ARE PROPOSED BECAUSE OF THREE GENERAL PROPERTIES; REFORMABILITY, PLASTIC MEMORY RETENTION, AND HIGH IMPACT RESISTANCE. CAC BELIEVES THESE PROPERTIES ALLOW THERMOPLASTIC COMPOSITES THE BEST CHANCE OF FULFILLING MISSION REQUIREMENTS. THE MATRIX MATERIALS PROPOSED FOR THIS PHASE I INVESTIGATION ARE POLYETHER ETHER KETON (PEEK) AND POLYBUTELENE TERAPHTHALATE (PBT). THESE POLYESTERS ARE PROPOSED BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT RADIATION SENSITIVE, HAVE LOW MOISTURE ABSORPTION AND EXHIBIT A LARGE DIFFERENCEIN THEIR RESPECTIVE GLASS TRANSITION TEMPERATURE (A STUDY VARIABLE). LOW MODULUS GRAPHITE IS PROPOSED AS THE FIBER MATERIAL IN ORDER TO PROMOTE MEMORY RETENTION.