Failure Analysis of Deployable Thin-Shell Space Structures Using Refined One-Dimensional Finite Elements
Daniele SCANO, Riccardo Augello, Erasmo CARRERA, Francesco LATINI, Marco PETROLO
Abstract. This study investigates the failure of ultra-thin deployable composite structures. The analysis focuses on a laminated tape spring composed of three layers of glass fibre and carbon fibre reinforced polymers, subjected to opposing bending moments at its ends. The Carrera Unified Formulation (CUF) is employed for the numerical analysis within a geometrically nonlinear framework. This approach enables the accurate evaluation of the complete three-dimensional (3D) stress state at each equilibrium configuration. The Hashin 3D criterion is then applied to compute failure indices, allowing for the identification of critical points along the nonlinear equilibrium path. The results conclusively identify the mid-span section as the most critical region, with matrix-dominated failure modes being predominant.
Keywords
Ultra-Thin Structures, One-Dimensional Refined Model, Carrera Unified Formulation, Failure Analysis
Published online 7/20/2026, 5 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Daniele SCANO, Riccardo Augello, Erasmo CARRERA, Francesco LATINI, Marco PETROLO, Failure Analysis of Deployable Thin-Shell Space Structures Using Refined One-Dimensional Finite Elements, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 69, pp 1210-1214, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904251-208
The article was published as article 208 of the book CEAS – AIDAA Conference 2025
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
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