Stabilization of a deployable flexible structure

Abstract This paper deals with stability and stabilization of a deployable flexible beam. It is proved that the motion of the structure is basically stable in station-keeping phase and deploying phase and unstable in retracting phase, if there is no control for it. Boundary controllers are proposed for the structure, which may dissipate the unwanted vibration and rotation energy of the structure, thus stabilize the structure during all the motion phases.