Lockheed Martin Corporation

Mcdonnell Douglas Corporation

The Aerospace Corporation

Ilc Dover, Inc.

Alan R Perry

Jack Howard Jacobs

Duane D Grosskrueger

Matthew M Thomas

Bernie F Carpenter

Edward J Simburger

Suraj Prakash Rawal

Thomas W Giants

Stephen Emerson Scarborough

James H Matsumoto

John K H Lin

Alec Garcia, Iii

Craig H Marshall

Jonathan Robert Day

Thomas W Kerslake

A flexible inflatable hinge includes curable resin for rigidly positioning panels of solar cells about the hinge in which wrap around contacts and flex circuits are disposed for routing power from the solar cells to the power bus further used for grounding the hinge. An indium tin oxide and magnesium fluoride coating is used to prevent static discharge while being transparent to ultraviolet light that cures the embedded resin after deployment for rigidizing the inflatable hinge.

Thin film solar cell inflatable ultraviolet rigidizable deployment hinge

A composite structure and related fabrication method is provided which has a plurality of composite material layers and at least one embedded shape memory alloy component for providing controlled structural deformation. The shape memory alloy component includes a shape memory alloy tendon having a relaxed shape at temperatures below a predetermined transition temperature and a contracted shape at temperatures above the predetermined transition temperature. The shape memory alloy component also comprises a pair of electrically insulating opposing face sheets adhered to opposite sides of the shape memory alloy tendon to electrically isolate the shape memory alloy tendon from the surrounding composite material layers. The shape memory alloy component is embedded within the plurality of composite material layers such that raising the temperature of the shape memory alloy tendon above the transition temperature creates a controlled structural deformation of both the shape memory alloy component and the surrounding composite material layers.

Composite structure adapted for controlled structural deformation

Fabrication method for composite structure adapted for controlled

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Morrison, CO, United States of America

Alan R Perry