Geometric Design of Deployable Scissor Grids Consisting of Generalized Polar Units

Deployable scissor grids are articulated networks of bars that can rapidly transform between different configurations. The past decades various types of scissor grids have been developed for diverse applications. Double curvature is often desired to obtain functional and appealing shapes with a good structural performance. Consequently, polar scissor units have been extensively studied for their ability to generate doubly curved scissor grids that undergo large volume expansions. Unfortunately, this double curvature could only be spherical. We propose a generalization of the polar scissor unit that can be used to translate the existing spherical scissor grids into non-spherical ones while maintaining their kinematic behaviour. Consequently, this generalization unlocks a large unexplored design potential and broadens the applicability of this scissor grid type. This paper presents the geometry and kinematics of the generalized polar scissor units and resulting scissor grids. In addition, it
introduces a joint model that preserves the geometric compatibility. Scale models are used to verify and illustrate these new concepts.

Trefwoorden:Deployable scissor structures, Domes, Double curvature, Generalization, Joints, Mechanism, Polar units, Scale model, Transformable structures

Auteurs:International

Toegankelijkheid:Closed