The mechanical design of a hybrid intelligent hinge with shape memory polymer and spring sheet

In this paper a concept of hybrid intelligent hinge is proposed to improve the deployment efficiency of the intelligent hinge. The hybrid intelligent hinge system consists of two shape memory polymer thin shells and one spring sheet based on the win-win considerations. The bending moment of hybrid intelligent hinge system is predicted theoretically. The bending process of hybrid intelligent hinge system is simulated and divided into three typical stages which correspond to three different bending mechanisms. The bending experiments are then performed to verify the recovery ability of hybrid intelligent hinge system. A parametric analysis is then carried out to obtain the bending rules of hybrid intelligent hinge system, based on which the hybrid intelligent hinge system with a variable range of recovery moment can be designed. The results obtained in this paper give a guide to design a promising intelligent hinge of deployable structures. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.