Abendvortrag: The Design of Morphing Structures

Sergio Pellegrino
Joyce and Kent Kresa Professor of Aerospace and Civil Engineering
Jet Propulsion Laboratory Senior Research Scientist
Co-Director, Space-Based Solar Power Project
Graduate Aerospace Laboratories, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA

Variable geometry “morphing” structures can achieve different geometric configurations through overall deformation. Early concepts were based on the use of many actuators to provide shape control. The focus of this talk is morphing structures able to switch between a few target configurations using only a small number of actuators. The general apporach is to design a structural skeleton which has the mobility required to morph between a set of target configurations, and to embed within this skeleton springs and mechanical stops that result in local energy minima for each of the target configurations. The unstressed lengths and angles of the springs, as well as their stiffnesses, and the reactions of the unilateral constraints are the design parameters. We present a general theory to formulate the equilibrium and stability constraints for such systems and discuss the solutions of the equations to achieve specific designs of practical interest. Applications to reconfigurable antennas are also presented.

Short bio

Sergio Pellegrino received the Laurea degree in civil engineering from the University of Naples, Italy in 1982, and the Ph.D. degree in structural mechanics from the University of Cambridge, U.K. in 1986. He is the Joyce and Kent Kresa Professor of Aerospace and Civil Engineering and a Co-Director of the Space Solar Power Project at the California Institute of Technology, and a Jet Propulsion Laboratory Senior Research Scientist. His research focuses on the mechanics of lightweight structures. With his students and collaborators, he is currently working on novel deployable structures for space solar power and other applications. Dr Pellegrino is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of AIAA and a Chartered Structural Engineer. He is President of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS) and has been the founding chair of the AIAA Spacecraft Structures Technical Committee.