On the minimal mass design of composite membranes

摘要

This paper will show that a simple membrane (e.g. balloon) is not always the minimal mass pressure vessel. Of course one could always add cables to support the membrane, or plate, to reduce the thickness and hence mass required of the membrane. By minimizing the sum of the mass of the membrane plus the mass of the cable network, a minimal mass solution for the pressure vessel can be found. We will show the necessary and sufficient conditions (involving material choices and cable network topology) for which a.composite system, composed of a membrane and cable network, has less mass than a membrane alone. The main motivator for this study is a spin-stabilized pressurized space structure useful for artificial gravity habitats.