Structural design, analysis, and experimental verification of an H-style deployable mechanism for large space-borne mesh antennas

Owing to the rapid developments in space technology, there has been a substantial increase in the demand for large-diameter and low-mass space-borne deployable antennas with high geometric stability. To meet this demand, this paper presents a novel single mobility deployable ring mechanism with a high deploy/fold ratio. This mechanism is suitable for constructing large-scale satellite deployable antennas. First, a basic truss element with a low storage height is proposed, and fundamental parameters of the deployable mechanism are analyzed. Second, a general motion analysis model of the deployment process is established, and the corresponding cable-net structure is designed. Finally, a ground experimental prototype with a diameter of 5.0 m is fabricated to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed mechanism. Based on the experimental results, the feasibility and effectiveness of the novel deployable antenna proposed herein are verified. •A novel single mobility deployable ring mechanism with a high deploy/fold ratio is proposed.•The general model for deployment kinematic analysis is established.•The equal-force form-finding method is applied.•The ground experiment prototype verify the feasibility of the ring deployable antenna.