Design analysis of cable-actuated cylindrical tesnegrity booms

In space applications, the pursuit of optimal deployable structures with high packaging efficiency and low mass is an essential task. Tensegrity structures offer a promising solution to the challenging limits set by launch vehicles, as their composition of struts and cables enable high potential for low mass and high packaging efficiency. In this paper, a class-2 cylindrical triplex tensegrity bay is explored for use in booms, where select cables are allowed to change length in order to modify the overall shape of the structure. The effects of different configuration parameters, (namely the ratio of bay height to circumscribing radius (h/r), the member radii, and the number of bays) are explored to understand their influence on the range of achievable shapes, bending tip deflection, packaging efficiency and mass. Increasing h/r increases the range of achievable active tip motion, bending tip deflection and mass, while decreasing the packaging efficiency. Increasing member radii decreases the range of achievable shapes, bending tip deflection and packaging efficiency, while increasing mass. When increasing the number of bays for a fixed overall height, a higher number of bays increases the range of achievable shapes, bending tip deflection and mass. For most values of overall bay height relative to circumscribing radius, increasing the number of bays also increases packaging efficiency. For some lower values of overall height to circumscribing radius, there is an optimal number of bays, increasing beyond which decreases packaging efficiency.