The Effect of Conical Configuration on Extendible Boom Characteristics in a Gravitational-Centrifugal Force Field

摘要

At the expense of fabrication ease, it appears that substantial weight savings and reductions in boom tip deflection can be obtained by resorting to configurations comprised of geometries more suitable than a circular cylinder. Cones with a uniform wall and a uniformly decreasing wall are but two of many selections possible. Weight reductions on the order of 50 per cent and 66 2/3 per cent respectively, with corresponding reductions in tip deflections of 40 per cent and 73 per cent, are obtainable by employing these two approaches (or their equivalents, if the fabrication problem of these precise configurations proves to be insurmountable). Thermal deflection studies indicate that the cone with a uniformly decreasing wall thickness is superior to the other geometries studied. Fortunately, the same holds true for this same configuration in the presence of a gravitational-centrifugal force field. (Author)