Novel tape spring geometries for deployable and reconfigurable structures

带状弹簧是一种壳体结构，具有良好的可展开结构性能；它们可以卷曲，可以形成弹性铰链。因此，它们被广泛应用于航空航天应用，在这些应用中，对空间的溢价意味着需要可展开的结构，但可靠性和低重量是最重要的--例如卫星上的太阳能电池板。到目前为止，它们在土基土木工程中的应用相对较少。此外，直带式弹簧已被广泛研究，但可能的几何形状范围更广。本博士将通过实验、计算模拟和壳体结构力学的应用，研究带弹簧的新几何形状，包括“带环”，即具有环形曲率的带弹簧。博士还将考虑带弹簧在民用领域的应用，并与结构设计公司合作设计一种可重构的结构。

Tape springs are shell structures that have good properties for deployable structures; they can be rolled up, and can form elastic hinges. As such they are widely used in aerospace applications where the premium on space means deployable structures are required but reliability and low weight are paramount - for example solar panels on satellites. There has so far been relatively little application of them to earth based civil engineering. Additionally, straight tape springs have been studied extensively but there is a wider range of possible geometries. This PhD will investigate novel geometries of tape springs, including "tape rings", which are tape springs with toroidal curvature, through experimentation, computational simulation, and application of shell structural mechanics. The PhD will also consider civil based applications for tape springs, and design a reconfigurable structure in collaboration with Structuremode.