Structural Wrinkling Predictions for Membrane Space Structures

1. STRUCTURAL WRINKLING PREDICTIONS FOR MEMBRANE SPACE STRUCTURES David W. Sleight, Alexander Tessler, and John T. Wang Analytical and Computational Methods Branch NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA d.w.sleight@larc.nasa.gov FEMCI Workshop 2002 Innovative FEM Solutions to Challenging Problems May 22-23, 2002

2. Outline Motivation Objectives Tension Field Theory for Predicting Wrinkling Thin-Shell Theory for Predicting Wrinkling Wrinkling Analyses Summary

3. Future space missions enabled by large Gossamer systems Understanding and predicting the behavior of membrane structures is essential for design and assessment of their performance Motivation Membrane Optics Sunshield Solar Sail

4. Types of Wrinkles Permanent deformations Creases Result from manufacturing or packaging Material Wrinkles Structural Wrinkles Temporary deformations Localized buckling Result from loading or boundary conditions Change load paths within a membrane structure

5. Problems Due to Structural Wrinkling Degraded performance Affect maneuverability and stability Poor surface accuracy Inflatable Antenna Solar Sail NGST Test

6. 10 m, 2 Quadrant Solar Sail in LaRC 16m Vacuum Chamber

7. Objectives Develop effective and robust FEA capabilities to predict structural wrinkles in membrane space structures Predict surface distribution of structural wrinkles using: Membrane analysis Shell analysis (with out-of-plane deformations)

8. Tension Field Theory for Predicting Wrinkling Originated by Wagner (1929) and Reissner (1938) Membranes have negligible bending stiffness and cannot sustain compressive stresses Wrinkles are treated as infinitesimally close to one another Out-of-plane deformations of wrinkles cannot be determined Tension field Theory (TFT) has been implemented by varying linear elastic material properties introducing a wrinkle strain formulating a relaxed strain energy density

9. Stein-Hedgepeth Theory (SHT) - 1961 Membrane cannot carry compressive stress Two types of regions: Taut Wrinkled Effects of wrinkling are accounted for using a variable Poissons ratio that permits over-contraction in the direction of minor principal stresses Wrinkles are aligned with the major principal stress axis Wrinkle line

10. FE implementation of the SHT Geometrically nonlinear analysis Wrinkle criteria based on element stress/strain states Taut: 2 > 0 (isotropic material) Wrinkled: 1 > 0 & 2 0 (orthotropic material) Slack: 1 < 0 (zero stiffness material) Finite element implementation into ABAQUS Adler-Mikulas (2000) Iterative Membrane Property (IMP) Method (Miller and Hedgepeth, 1982)

11. Thin-Shell Theory for Predicting Wrinkling Membrane theory cannot predict the amplitude and shape of wrinkles Shell theory includes both membrane and bending flexibilities enables post-buckling response can predict amplitude and shape of wrinkles Geometrically nonlinear analysis is necessary to predict the structural behavior

12. Thin-Shell Wrinkling Analyses Using ABAQUS Geometrically nonlinear FE analysis Using reduced integration thin-shell element (S4R5) Imperfections are added to initial geometry mode shapes from buckling analysis random imperfections Employ ABAQUS with STABILIZE parameter to automatically add damping for preventing unstable and singular solutions for accuracy, use lowest possible value for which convergence can be achieved

13. Wrinkling Analyses Square Membrane Loaded in Tension Rectangular Membrane Loaded in Shear

14. Square Membrane Loaded in Tension (Blandino, Johnston, et al, 2002) Kapton membrane: 2.54 x 10 -2 mm thick Applied Loads: 2.45 N (Isothermal) Applied Load Applied Load

15. Wrinkling Results ABAQUS IMP Results 10,000 elements M3D3/M3D4 Membrane Elements Experimental Results (Blandino, Johnston, et al) Wrinkled Region

16. Rectangular Membrane Loaded in Shear (Wong and Pellegrino, 2002) Fixed 128 mm 380 mm mm Kapton foil: 25 m thick

17. Wrinkling Results 3960 elements 5% initial random imperfections Out-of-plane Deflection

18. Summary Future space missions enabled by Gossamer structures Effective and robust analysis tools required Structural wrinkles constitute a major concern Affect surface topology and behavior/performance FEA analyses using ABAQUS to predict structural wrinkling Membrane analyses with IMP method Thin-shell geometrically nonlinear analyses