A new type of folded composite hinge is investigated for its use in precision deployable spacecraft structures. The hinge is an integral feature of a composite tube intended for use as a structural truss member. The design of the hinge allows the tube to be elastically folded for stowage even with tube wall thicknesses from 0.4 to 1.7 mm. Whether the large but primarily elastic folding stresses impart permanent deformations to the tube after it is deployed is experimentally assessed. The data shown that any such permanent strain induces tip deformations, identified as microscopic plastic behavior, of no more than 2.5 μ axially and 9 μ laterally, depending on the composite layup.
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