Simulation of Deployment Process with Large Deflections for Coiled Flexible Shells Based on Prestress Initialization Method

摘要

For coiled flexible shells, theoretical formulas of calculating the stress distribution are derived and applied to initialize the prestressed status of the shells before deploying. Following the prestress initialization, dynamic simulation of elastic and elasto-plastic deployment processes with large deflections of the shells is conducted by explicit time integration. It is shown that the simulation based on prestress initialization method is feasible and efficient. Comparing the deforming process and the energy history of the elastic deployment with that of the elasto-plastic deployment, the effects of plasticity are embodied as slowing the deployment process down and speeding the kinetic energy dissipation up, while making the shell unable to return to its original configuration, and keep more residual strain energy. A primary approach to decrease the effects of plasticity is improving the initial prestressed status of the coiled flexible shells.