Formation and propagation of buckles in coilable cylindrical thin shells with a thickness discontinuity

Abstract

This paper studies the snap-through buckling that occurs ahead of the coiled region in thin, linear-elastic, isotropic coilable cylindrical shells with a sudden change in the thickness of the shell cross section. The study is focused on Triangular Rollable And Collapsible (TRAC) booms. It is shown that coiling of these shells leads to longitudinal compression of the inner flange mid-surface, which in turn leads to the formation of a buckle in the transition region between the fully coiled and fully deployed parts of the inner flange. This buckle grows to reach a steady-state configuration and is then pushed along the shell without changing its shape when the shell is coiled.