Quasi-static deployment simulation of a kapton polyimide creased unit

Abstract

When thin-film membranes are folded, the resulting creases alter the physical state and material properties of the overall membrane structure. Characterising the mechanics of these creased membranes plays a significant role in predicting their deployment force and deployed configuration. According to previous studies, the hinge response at a crease during the deployment could be best characterised by a rotational spring, whose nature of stiffness should be determined via physical experiments. In this study, a quasi-static deployment simulation for a Kapton polyimide creased unit was carried out using Abaqus/Explicit package to study the applicability of crease idealisation in the presence of an intersection of creases. Crease stiffness obtained for a single creased specimen from a displacement controlled experimental study developed by previous researchers was implemented as the rotational spring stiffness in the numerical model. The accuracy of the numerical study was verified by conducting the same experimental study for the creased unit. The simulation developed in Abaqus/Explicit environment was able to capture the deployment response observed in the physical experiments, in terms of maximum deployment ratio and shape on incorporating the effect of gravity to the simulation.