Solar sails are propellantless systems where the propulsive force is given by the momentum\nexchange of reflecting photons. Thanks to the use of shape memory alloys for the self-actuation\nof the system, complexity of the structure itself has decreased and so has the weight of the whole\nstructure. Four self-deploying systems based on the NiTi shape memory wires have been designed\nand manufactured in different configurations (wires disposal and folding number). The deployed\nsolar sails surfaces have been acquired by a Nextengine 3D Laser Scanner based on the Multistripe\nTriangulation. 3D maps have been pre-processed through Geomagic Studio and then elaborated in\ntheWolfram Mathematica environment. The planarity degree has been evaluated as level curves from\nthe regression plane highlighting marked differences between the four configurations and locating\nthe vertices as the most critical zones. These results are useful in the optimization of the best folding\nsolution both in the weight/surface reduction and in the planarity degree of the solar sail.
Loading....