Experimental and numerical investigation on folding stable state of bistable deployable composite boom

The bistable deployable composite boom (Bi-DCB) can realize the bistable function by storing and releasing strain energy, which has a good application prospect in the aerospace field. In this paper, the folding stable state of the Bi-DCB was investigated using experimental and numerical approaches. Using the vacuum bag method, six Bi-DCB specimens were prepared. Bistable experiments of Bi-DCB specimens were conducted and linear fitting with Archimedes’ helix was performed to determine the folding stable configuration. In addition, two Finite Element Models (FEMs) were established for predicting the folding stable state of the Bi-DCB. Two classical failure criteria were utilized to analyze the stress level of the folding stable state of the Bi-DCB. Numerical results of two FEMs agreed well with experimental results, including the bistable deformation process and the folding stable state.