Experimental results Regarding the inflation of unfolding cylindrical tubes

Inflatable structures promise to greatly reduce the cost oflaunching pay loads into orbit However, predicting the dynamics of their deployment and their interactions with other spacecraft is difficult. One such method for understanding the dynamics is the development of a computer simulation. One of the most important elements of a computer simulation is the determination of the internal pressure characteristics during inflation and deployment. Presented in this paper are the results of several experiments designed to examine the internal pressure of an unfolding, inflatable cylinder. Results show that external pressure greatly effects internal pressure during pressurization. Results also show that delays in pressurization across folds can occur. The presence and size of the delay are a function of tube diameter, pressure, and fold angle.