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Acta Aeronautica et Astronautica Sinica

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Folding optimization design and deployment analysis for the folding film drag balloon

  

  • Received:2024-06-20 Revised:2024-08-24 Online:2024-09-02 Published:2024-09-02

Abstract: The drag balloon is one of the primary devices for deorbiting low Earth orbit spacecraft at the end of their life. Since the thin membrane sphere must be stored in a confined space for an extended period before use, achieving high-density, low-damage folding and smooth inflation and deployment is crucial for its operation. Considering the drag balloon are mostly composed of a certain number of bonded valves, first to propose an optimal valve configuration design method that considers shape stability and economic efficiency. Furthermore, for the single petal structure, a symmetrical parallel z-type folding scheme is proposed, and methods for quantifying the folded volume and damage are provided. Then, to increase the deployment ratio and reduce crease damage, an optimized folding scheme for the drag balloon is presented and simulated for a 6-meter diameter sphere. Based on this scheme, the effects of valve configuration, inflation speed, and initial internal pressure and temperature on the smooth deployment of the drag balloon are analyzed. The results show that the proposed folding scheme can achieve high-density, low-damage folding of the drag balloon. Additionally, by increasing the number of valves, slowing down the inflation speed, avoiding excessive vacuum, and reducing direct sunlight exposure, the attitude oscillation during the de-ployment process can be effectively mitigated, speeding up the attainment of a stable state.

Key words: the drag balloon, high-density folding, folding damage, folding optimization, inflatable deployment

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