Configuration synthesis of planar folded and common overconstrained spatial rectangular pyramid deployable truss units

Compared with non-overconstrained deployable units, overconstrained deployable units are widely used in space missions for their higher stiffness characteristics. Besides the performance of a three-step topological structural analysis and design of the rectangular pyramid deployable truss unit (PDTU), conducting a structural synthesis of an overconstrained deployable unit requires the determination of the relative position and direction of each kinematic axis. The structural synthesis of an overconstrained deployable unit is investigated based on screw theory and its topological structure. The possible overconstrained cases of the rectangular PDTUs are analyzed, and corresponding screw expressions are obtained. Thus, the rectangular PDTUs, which can be folded into a plane, are synthesized systemically, and a series of overconstrained rectangular PDTUs is obtained. Furthermore, the feasibility of the folded and deployed motions under one degree of freedom for those deployable units is verified in dynamical simulation by using ADAMS 2010. (C) 2019 Production and hosting by Elsevier Ltd. on behalf of Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics.