Simon Guest's home page
Simon Guest:
Research on Deployable Structures
Introduction to Deployable Structures
Deployable Structures are structures which can be reduced in size
for transportation or storage, and then automatically deployed. Most
commonly, these structures are used in space.
My PhD work, with Sergio Pellegrino in the early 1990's, was in deployable structures; an archive of Sergio Pellegrino's work in this area at Cambridge is now
maintained. My main interest is in
the early development of new concepts for use as deployable structures.
My recent work in symmetry has proved particularly useful for making progress.
Recent Projects
Tim Hutt has done some excellent work on the simulation of the deployment
of overconstrained ring structures
Old Projects
The following projects were initiated as part of my PhD in the early 1990's:
-
Foldable Cylinders
Foldable Cylinders are a new way of packaging a cylinder. They
consist of a number of triangular panels arranged in a helical pattern
on a cylinder; when folded the cylinders are packaged as a compact stack of
plates. You'll find a simple cut-out-and-keep model to make yourself.
-
Wrapping Fold Pattern
The Wrapping Fold Pattern is a way of folding a membrane by
wrapping it around a central hub. It has been 'invented' a number of
times, but we believe we have a particularly simple and effective way
of calculating the correct fold pattern. You'll find a simple cut-out-and-keep model to make yourself.
-
Solid Surface Deployable Antenna
The Solid Surface Deployable Antenna is a new concept for the
folding of a parabolic antenna where the frequency of operation
requires a solid reflective surface. The surface is split into wings;
each wing is subdivided into panels, which are connected by revolute
joints. The surface folds by wrapping the wings around a central hub.
Last updated on the 23rd of June, 2010
S.D. Guest -
sdg@eng.cam.ac.uk