Investigation of wrinkling behaviour in the creased thin-film laminates

Abstract

The use of metal-polymer membrane laminates for gossamer space structures emerge in recent times. Wrinkle formation, fold-line effect, and wrinkle minimization are more dominant in inflatable space structures and solar sail applications. In this article, the authors explored a novel work, wrinklecrease interaction, for Aluminium-Kapton thin-film laminates. Introduction of non-avoidable crease profile adds uniqueness for laminates under in-plane shear deformation. A representative micro-material model from the experimental state of a layered membrane is employed in finite element analysis. This is followed by a non-linear post-buckling simulation performed for different layer combinations. The authors thoroughly investigated the layer composition and individual film thickness effect on the evolved wrinkling profile. Exploring wrinkle amplitude-wavelength for shear-induced compressive stresses in transverse direction confirms better results for creased laminate over a non-creased profile. In addition, a variation of shearing over changing film thickness support the stated remarks. This paper further suggests a favourable laminate thickness range to maintain the desired surface accuracy by limiting RMS error.