宇宙展開構造の重力補償に用いるインフレータブルチューブのモデリングとその評価

In recent years, space structures have become large to achieve advanced space missions. Many qualification tests are required to ensure proper performance of the structures in space. The characteristics of the deployment must be evaluated based on the ground experiments. In particular, the deployment feasibility of the large structures in space is a major design point for development. Therefore, the effects of gravity must be eliminated while deployment tests on the ground. So far, two conventional techniques for the gravity compensator were proposed: a pulley/counterweight suspension system and an underpinning system by air floating table. However, there are several disadvantages of these systems, such as restriction of degrees of freedom concerned with deployment motion. We have proposed a pneumatic gravity compensation system which applied to three-dimensional movement of deployable space structures. The telescoping mechanism for simulating in the vertical motion is used an inflatable tube. The driving force for the telescopic motion can be generated by the air inlet/outlet flow. The measurement data of the compensation torque is verified by the experiment. Consequently, this gravity compensation system is useful to apply the deployment structure testing.