Simulation and validation of space deployable membrane structures using the absolute nodal coordinate formulation

• Integrated crease-contact model developed for space film mechanisms. • PSO optimizes parameters under extreme temperatures. • Experiments validate model (4.73% error), guiding aerospace design. Foldable membrane structures, with light weight and foldability, suit the trend of large-scale, lightweight spacecraft and are used in components like antennas and sunshades. This study models crease dynamics to analyze space deployable membrane structure deployment. A deployment model uses crease elements, including pre - configured ANCF shell elements, constraint and contact models, and a Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) parameter - identification method. Experiments and simulations validate the model and analyze the structure. Tensile tests at high and low temperatures identify membrane and crease dynamic parameters. Single - crease deployment experiments and simulations verify the model’s configuration accuracy. Simulations show the necessity of the inter - layer contact model. Multi - crease deployment experiments and simulations confirm the model’s mechanical property correctness. Comparing high and low temperature simulations reveals low - temperature impacts on deployment. This paper presents an engineering feasible crease modeling method for space membrane structure design and optimization.