Shape recovery performances of a deployable hinge fabricated byfiber-reinforced shape-memory polymer

摘要

A new type of fiber reinforced thermoset styrene-based shape-memory polymer composite (SMPC) is developed andanalyzed. The main objective is to systematically characterize the shape recovery properties of SMPC, which is afoundation for SMPC used in deployable structures. Firstly, the deployment dynamics of cured SMPC shell is presented.Then, the shape recovery performance is investigated by finite element analysis (FEA). The deployment process ofcurved SMPC shell (from 0-180 degree) is simulated by the geometrically nonlinear analysis. The deployment momentincreases with the increase of the thickness of curved shell, and the strain show somewhat uniform in the central part ofthe curved shell. Furthermore, a hinge made of SMPC is fabricated, which consists of two curved SMPC shells inopposite directs. The deployment of hinge can be achieved in about 100s by applying a 20V voltage. The deploymentratio approaches approximate 100 %. Finally the deployment of a prototype of solar array actuated by the hinge isdemonstrated.