The deployment behaviour of inflatable booms with zigzag and modified zigzag folding patterns isexperimentally and theoretically investigated in this paper with the aim to deploy the booms as the actuator for futuredeployable large-scale membrane structures. Regarding the experimental approach, the stable deployment of amodified zigzag folding pattern is demonstrated, and the relation between stable and unstable deployment behaviouris considered in relation to air pressure and flow rate. In terms of the theoretical approach, the folding process anddeployment behaviour are simulated using commercially available software (PAM-CRACH and PAM-SAFE). Tocreate folding lines from the zero stress condition in the case of analytical inflatable boom models, the stressdistribution and the shapes of the folding lines are considered for the initial self-deployment behaviour anddeployment behaviour using the uniform pressure method. From the folding experiments and the results of foldinganalyses and UPM, the deployment behaviour of inflatable boom models in zigzag and modified zigzag foldingpatterns is compared by using the finite pointset method. For the sequential deployment behaviour, which is difficultto replicate, the uniform pressure method is used for the calculations, and the relation between inlet air flow andstable deployment behaviour is discussed though comparison of the experimental and analysis results.
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