Deployable membrane structure based on the Bennett linkage

Deployable structures based on the alternative forms of the Bennett linkage have been proposed and investigated by some researchers, which can be fully folded to a bundle and deployed to a flat surface. For aerospace applications, a deployable membrane structure based on the alternative form of the Bennett linkage is proposed and developed in the current paper. When fully deployed, four bars of the structure are not coplanar and the membrane tensioned by them can form a hyperboloidal surface. The compatibility between the structure and the membrane during the process of deployment is investigated, and preferred ranges of main design parameters are proposed to ensure the compatibility. The method to construct the assembly of the structure is also considered. In addition, three physical models were manufactured to verify the analytical investigations of the current paper.