Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Restricted Thesis

Terms of Use

© 2024 Kevin Murillo. All rights reserved. Access to this work is restricted to users within the Swarthmore College network and may only be used for non-commercial, educational, and research purposes. Sharing with users outside of the Swarthmore College network is expressly prohibited. For all other uses, including reproduction and distribution, please contact the copyright holder.

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Engineering Department

First Advisor

Fiona A. O'Donnell

Abstract

Growing interest in small satellites poses a significant challenge in working with limited cargo volumes. This restriction requires novel stowage methods for onboard satellite components. A solution to this challenge has been deployable structures, which address the need for compactness during stowage. The main design parameter for these structures is the folding ratio, which quantifies the compactness of a structure. This work presents a design methodology for a square deployable truss mast (DTM). The mast is designed to fit inside a cylindrical cannister with a diameter of 90 mm and a height of 55 mm (according to standard volumetric payloads for small satellites). The result is a DTM with a folding ratio of 12.64. This work presents the mathematical modeling and computer-aided design (CAD) for the folding mechanism of the square DTM. Future iterations of this design will incorporate diagonal cables that complete the truss-structure of the DTM.

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