摘要：Rigidizable/Inflatable (RI) materials offer the possibility of deployable large
space structures5 and so are of interest in applications where large optical
or RF apertures are needed. In particular, in recent years there has been
renewed interest in inflatable-rigidizable trussstructures (see Figure 1)
because of the efficiency they offer in packaging during
boost-to-orbit. However, much research is still needed to better understand
dynamic response characteristics, including inherent damping, of truss
structures fabricated with these advanced material systems. One of the most
important characteristics of such space systems is their response to
changing thermal loads, as they move in/out of the Earth’s shadow. We study
the thermoelastic behaviour of a basic truss component consisting of two RI
beams connected through a joint subject to solar heating.
