Precise Control Method for Bistable Characteristics of Coilable Mast and Configuration Design Flowchart

 (Image by the research group)

Space deployable structures serve as critical components supporting spacecraft operations in orbit. Coilable masts, valued for their high fold-to-unfold ratio and deployment stability, are frequently employed as deployment support mechanisms for space environment probes, solar arrays, and gravity gradient rods.

However, coilable masts often experience dynamic instability caused by compression-twist coupling deformation during deployment, which has seriously restricted their application in high-precision missions. The complex deployment behavior resulting from this coupling deformation makes precise control and optimal design of the overall folding process exceptionally challenging. To date, the structural design and parameter selection for coilable masts have still heavily relied on empirical formulas, lacking clear design principles and systematic theoretical guidance.

Aiming at this issue, a research team from the Shenyang Institute of Automation (SIA), Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS), hasapplied the geometric and mechanical principles of the Kresling origami structure to model coilable masts. This novel approach has clearly revealed the energy evolution path and bistable behavior of the mast throughout the complete folding process, elucidating its complex deformation mechanisms. Moreover, the team has successfully achieved programmable control of motion behavior and precise regulation of bistable property by adjusting structure parameters flexibly, such as initial height, material properties, and the number of longerons. A systematic configuration design framework has been established to improve design efficiency and reliability significantly.

Experimental results from bistability tests and the complete folding process validate the actual bistable behavior and deformation modes of the coilable mast. The high consistency between theoretical predictions, numerical simulations, and physical phenomena further confirms the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed theory.

This research has been published in the International Journal of Mechanical Sciences under the title Bistable property and energy programming of lanyard coilable masts inspired by Kresling origami. Yingying Tang, a Ph.D. student at SIA, is the first author, and Professor Jinguo Liu is the corresponding author.

DOI：10.1016/j.ijmecsci.2025.110542

Paper Link：https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020740325006253