Design requirements for maximum compactness in deployable structures

This paper presents the essential design requirements for the development of deployable structures in order to: ensure a proper functioning during the folding-unfolding process, as well as at the final stages; achieve the maximum compactness possible in the folded position; prevent possible local failures that can trigger the collapse of the whole assembly. The different types of modules are described, and the advantages and limitations of foldable strings composed by the addition of equal units are exposed. The transformation of any generic curve into a deployable string results of higher interest for the creation of new geometries. The method of the ellipse has been proven as an effective technique to achieve this aim, and, in this research, it is generalized and automated to transform a generic surface into a deployable grid. A collection of digital parametric tools has been developed, and this paper contains the scripts to test the fulfillment maximum compactness condition and to detect localized fold-over failures.