Analysis of quasi-static deployable behavior of membrane structures considering the crease effect

During the efficient folding process of space deployable membrane structures, creases are inevitably generated, which alter the local stiffness of the structure and subsequently affect its deployment mechanical behavior and post-deployment configuration accuracy. Against this engineering background, this paper systematically studies the quasi-static deployable characteristics of membrane structures with creases. Firstly, an equivalent spring model for creases is proposed and derived, clarifying the expression of its rotational stiffness. This model contains only one undetermined parameter, which can be easily calibrated through experimental data. The relative error between the theoretical results of the model and existing experimental data is within 20%. Then, the equivalent spring model is combined with the finite element method to analyze the quasi-static deployable behavior of single-crease membrane structures through theoretical analysis and numerical simulation, respectively. The numerical results agree well with the theoretical solutions, verifying the reliability of the numerical method. Finally, quasi-static deployable numerical simulations are conducted for Kresling origami structures, revealing the influence of different geometric parameters on their deployment characteristics. This paper provides some new content for the design of membrane structures and deployable structures.