Modified displacement component approach for wrinkling analysis of gossamer space structures

This paper presents a new Modified Displacement Component (MDC) approach by which the wrinkling equation at bifurcation point is modified to complete the wrinkling analysis. The singularity of the displacement solution is eliminated by modifying the bifurcation displacement component. The bifurcation displacement is obtained based on the bifurcation theory, and it is also introduced into the post-wrinkling load path as the initial imperfection by multiplying a specific small positive number. The MDC method is then apply to the wrinkling numerical calculation by suitably considering and introducing the wrinkling mode. Four key techniques, including initial prestress, initial imperfection, displacement control, and model stabilization, are used to combine the numerical calculation with MDC method. The results are then used to compare with the corresponding experimental test. The experimental results agree well with the wrinkling perdition.