Deformation Mechanism of EMC Materials and Applications for Future Deployable Space Structure

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 thermomechanical 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 microbuckling 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.