形状记忆聚合物复合材料(EMC)作为一类新型功能材料,具有高极限应变、高比刚度和低密度等优点,在未来空间展开结构中极具应用潜力。首先介绍了EMC折叠变形机理及作为空间展开材料所具有的优缺点,在此基础上分析比较了现有屈曲理论模型在分析EMC折叠变形时存在的问题,然后介绍了用EMC设计展开结构目前国际上所取得的一些最新研究进展。由于EMC形状折叠和展开是通过热激励实现的,因此对EMC的热源系统设计也进行了专门分析。最后,对EMC用于空间展开结构亟待解决的问题和今后的一些研究方向进行了展望。
As a new class of functional materials, elastic memory composite (EMC) materials have great potentials in future space deployable structures due to the advantages of high strain-to-failure, high specific modulus, and low density. In this paper, some recent developments in this field were reviewed. EMCs can realize much high packaging strains without damage and automatically recover to their original shapes when subjected to a specific thermomechanieal cycle. Experimental researches have revealed that microbuckling and post-microbuckling responses of compressed fibers in the soft matrix are the primary deformation mechanism of EMCs to realize higher packaging strains than traditional composites. However, a thorough understanding about the deformation mechanism of EMCs has not yet been achieved. In this paper, the classical microbuekling solutions and some new developed models were discussed, and their applicability for predicting microbuckling response in EMC materials during packaging and deployment were assessed. Moreover, some recent developments of EMC structures in deployable industry were introduced. Since the heating system is critical for EMC deployable structures, it was also discussed specially. Finally, future investigations on EMC materials in space deployable technique were suggested.