Quasi-Fractal Lenticular Booms

An improved configuration for large, thin-walled lenticular booms has been proposed to reduce their susceptibility to buckling. Lenticular booms have been used on spacecraft because they can be flattened and rolled onto drums for compact storage during transport, then deployed by unrolling them from the drums. Lenticular booms could also be useful on Earth in special applications in which there are requirements for lightweight, deployable structures that can withstand small mechanical loads.