Deploying Properties of Para-Cylinder with Side Polygonal Elements and Its Application to Simple Actuator

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In this study, a series of expanding tests for some foldable para-cylinders which consist of side triangular members were carried out to investigate the influences of the geometrical parameters such as the shape and the arrangement of side triangular members, the length of creases and the circumferential number of the side members on the unfolding manner, the expanding speed, the inside pressure and the maximum payload during perfect unfolding. The strain in the side members during unfolding is also examined analytically. The principal results obtained are as follows:1. By folding a paper actually, it was found that three different types of folding, horizontal folding spiral folding and repeated spiral folding, can make a foldable para-cylinder. When the para-cylinders were perfectly folded, the cross section of the cylinders become various polygons.2. Considering truss members instead of the creases on the side of a cylinder, the strains of members were estimates analytically. The analysis results showed that the strains of para-cylinders with spiral folding during unfolding are much smaller than those of cylinders with other two folding manners. Concerning the number of the polygon side which appears in the cross-section of the para-cylinder folded, N, the cylinder with larger N is preferred because of smaller strain in the truss members.3. The results of expanding experiments for various foldable para-cylinders agreed well with the prediction by the strain analysis of truss members. The para-cylinder which showed the largest deployable payload in the experiments is a cylinder with spiral folding and N = 9. In the range of experiments, this foldable cylinder may be the best choice for a simple actuator.