Expandable structures formed by hinged plates

This paper presents a family of two-dimensional expandable structures formed by flat plates connected by cylindrical (scissor) joints. These structures are kinematically equivalent to previously known expandable bar structures. Special shapes of the plates are determined for which the plates do not overlap or interfere during the expansion of the structure, and for which the structure forms a gap-free disk in the closed configuration and an annulus in the open configuration.

• INTRODUCTION

• BACKGROUND: EXPANDABLE BAR STRUCTURES

• EXTREME CONFIGURATIONS OF BAR STRUCTURES

• COVER ELEMENTS FOR BAR STRUCTURE

• DESIGN OF EXPANDABLE STRUCTURES

• DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

• REFERENCES