Analysis of mechanical properties in bending processes and optimal design of simple tape spring

Abstract Tape spring is straight, thin-walled, elastic strip with curved cross-section, which can replace traditional hinges by allowing for folding elastically and unfolded releasing stored energy with fewer component parts. This work is devoted to the properties of the folding and deployment of simple tape spring by numerical simulation and experiment method. Firstly, the folding process of tape spring is experimentally investigated using a specially designed test rig and verified by using nonlinear finite element ABAQUS/Standard solver. Then the moment-rotation relationships for symmetric bending are studied, the effects of subtended angle of section, total tape spring length, thickness and cross section radius on the performance of tape spring are investigated. Furthermore, the optimal model of tape spring structure design is established based on the response surface methodology (RSM) and parameter’s effective analysis, which aims at maximum strain energy during the tape-spring hinge deployment and subjects to allowable stress of tape spring. And the interior point algorithm is used to solve the optimal model. The optimal results are of great importance to the design of novel deployable structures with high stability, reliability and lightweight.