ABSTRACT
The CHEM technology is one of results in the quest for simple, reliable and low-cost deployable/expandable structures and is described extensively in this book. It describes CHEM self-deployable structures, their technology development, provides basic property data and characteristics, explains their thermomechanical processing, performance behavior and suggests a simple model to predict the behavior of the CHEM structure under different thermomechanical environments. The book reveals shape-memory activation methods, different heat sources for deployment and discusses advantages/disadvantages over other deployable structures. Besides their scientific significance, the CHEM materials have a high innovation potential and, due to their novel properties and behavior, they can be utilized in a broad range of applications. In the space area, the CHEM technology has a potential to provide groundbreaking self-deployable space structures with significantly higher reliability, lower cost and higher simplicity than other space expandable and deployable structures. CHEM technology shows great promise for a host of commercial and biomedical applications. The book unveils many exciting potential commercial and biomedical applications. Some of these applications have been experimentally and analytically investigated with encouraging results and are revealed here. Because of the simplicity and attractiveness of this technology, the authors anticipate new exciting ideas in commercial and medical applications perhaps not feasible by the current technologies that could simplify and make a life easier at a lower expense.
