A new classification of deployable structures
Deployable lightweight structures are studied in the disciplines of architecture, civil engineering, aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering and other fields of their application. The research into these structures in individual fields resulted in a large amount of data sorted out by numerous classifications. The previously made classifications proposed by different authors are presented in this paper by the usage of reasonably unified tables that enabled a direct insight into the essential characteristics of these structures, their analysis and mutual comparison. One of the results of these analyses is the proposal for the unified classification given in a separate table in this paper. The results of interdisciplinary studies have been collected into a unified classification which could be applied for the research in different scientific fields, presenting the basic types of these structures, including individual elements and details with their characteristic features. The proposal of the unified classification of deployable structures is made according to the application of the basic elements used for structure forming. The suggested classification, with the review of the results of the present research, is a significant starting point for the scientists in different disciplines and it provides a detailed insight into the studied characteristics of these structures.