The demand for pressurized, large structures in space, such as habitats or fuel deposits, is increasing as the space industry grows. The limited payload volume of launch vehicles, combined with their highly constrained shape, presents a significant challenge for these structures. Origami-inspired deployable structures have emerged as a potential solution for this problem. This work aims to design and optimize an origami-inspired deployable structure for use as a technology demonstrator in a 12U CubeSat. The choice of pattern, deployment mechanism, and material considerations are discussed as they are relevant in the initial configuration of the structural prototype. By combining two different types of printable materials, it is possible to create a pattern that is more flexible without the use of mechanical hinges. Then two different modeling methods are analyzed in order to study their physical behavior. Once all the desired configurations are computed, an optimization process is applied in order to obtain the most suitable one under the pre-defined requirements.@en

This paper presents the derivation of nondimensional buckling equations of sandwich cylindrical shells made of composite facesheets with a shear deformable core. The procedure yields an analytical solution in terms of a series of nondimensional parameters for the axial buckling load investigating the influence of the core transverse shear. The developed equations and the nondimensional parameters are used to study the buckling response of different shells, and the calculated buckling loads are compared to the buckling values obtained by neglecting the transverse shear. Graphs and tables are presented to show the effects of the nondimensional parameters on the nondimensional buckling load. The results are verified by finite element analyses using the commercial code Abaqus.@en

Studying buckling behavior of large shell structures through full-scale test articles can be complex and expensive. Therefore, reduced-scale structures are often preferred for investigating buckling behavior. However, designing reduced-scale structures that are representative of the full-scale structure can be difficult. An analytical scaling methodology for compression-loaded sandwich composite cylindrical shells based on the nondimensionalization of the buckling equations is presented herein. The methodology was used to develop scaled configurations that show similar buckling responses to the full-scale baseline configuration. Finite element analysis results showed that both a baseline and a scaled configuration buckled similarly, when the nondimensional stiffness, defined as the ratio between the nondimensional load and nondimensional displacement, was matched between the different scale models. Limitations of the methodology are discussed and are believed to be a result of neglecting the flexural anisotropy and the transverse shear compliance. A preliminary material failure assessment for the different scales is also considered.@en

The study of the buckling behavior of large shell structures through full-size tests can be complex and expensive. Therefore, scaled structures are often preferred to investigate the buckling behavior efficiently. However, it can be difficult to design scaled structures that are representative of the full-scale structures. Herein, an analytical scaling methodology for compression-loaded sandwich composite cylinders based on the nondimensionalization of the buckling equations is presented. The methodology is used to develop scaled configurations that show a similar buckling response. Both the baseline and the scaled configurations are verified by finite-element analysis. Limitations of the methodology are discussed and are a result of neglecting the flexural anisotropy and the transverse shear compliance.@en