Analysis and test of a space truss foldable hinge

The Mini-Mast is a 20-meter long deployable, three-longeron, truss-beam being used to develop analytical and experimental methods for predicting the physical behavior of large space structures. With 57 corner-body hinges and 54 mid-body hinges, the Mini-Mast is highly joint-dominated, necessitating inclusion of the compliance of the joints in analytical models. This study demonstrates an approach for calculating the stiffness properties of a complicated hinge called the mid-body hinge. The process includes detailed modeling with solid-body modeling software and the use of finite element analysis. Load-deflection tests were conducted to determine the axial stiffness of the mid-body hinge. This is compared to the axial stiffness value determined from a finite element analysis.