Title: Pressure induced active control mechanism for a pneumatically supported space tower

Authors: R.K. Seth; B.M. Quine; Z.H. Zhu

Addresses: Sai Institute of Engineering and Technology, Amritsar, Punjab, 143115, India ' Department of Earth and Space Science and Engineering, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada ' Department of Earth and Space Science and Engineering, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada

Abstract: This paper presents the development of an active control system based upon pressure induced control mechanisms to maintain the structural stability of an inflatable space tower. A pneumatically supported space tower comprises high structural strength fabric beams inflated at an appropriate pressure to maintain strength and structural configuration requires an active control mechanism to control attitude. A pressure control mechanism that utilises the differential change of pressure inside the inflated multiple-beam structure is investigated experimentally to determine its ability to maintain vertical orientation. Results indicate that the pressure induced control mechanisms can efficiently control the attitude of the large inflated structure such as pneumatically supported space tower.

Keywords: active control; inflatable space towers; pneumatic beams; pneumatic structures; structural stability; inflatable towers; pressure control; vertical orientation; attitude control; inflated structures.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSPACESE.2013.054464

International Journal of Space Science and Engineering, 2013 Vol.1 No.2, pp.205 - 214

Received: 01 Mar 2013
Accepted: 21 Mar 2013
Published online: 30 Apr 2014 *

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