Stochastic Analysis of an Exotic Deployable Space Truss System

In this article a novel exotic, cylindrical, deployable truss system is presented, whose deployment pattern is uncertain because of the different bifurcation paths of its force-displacement diagram. However, the nonlinear analysis of the structure has revealed that this pattern is chaotic though, but not completely stochastic. In fact, the possible deployment patterns ─ corresponding to the different parametric/geometric settings ─ are governed by difficultly determinable rules, resulting in regularities of the patterns resembling the fractal shapes derived from the Mandelbrot set.

Besides its fascinating structural behaviour, and the numerical challenge of its simulation due to its highly nonlinear behaviour, the antiprismatic cylindrical structure may be attractive for artists, architects and structural/mechanical engineers working in the field of flexible systems.