Various folded patterns that upon inflation can be deployed into long booms with cross sections like thin-walled cylindrical shells

This and the next 2 images are from:

Mark Schenk, Andrew D. Viquerat, Keith A. Seffen, and Simon D. Guest (Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, UK),

"Review of Inflatable Booms for Deployable Space Structures: Packing and Rigidization". Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, (2014). doi: 10.2514/1.A32598

ABSTRACT: Inflatable structures offer the potential of compactly stowing lightweight structures, which assume a fully deployed state in space. An important category of space inflatables are cylindrical booms, which may form the structural members of trusses or the support structure for solar sails. Two critical and interdependent aspects of designing inflatable cylindrical booms for space applications are i) packaging methods that enable compact stowage and ensure reliable deployment, and ii) rigidization techniques that provide long-term structural ridigity after deployment. The vast literature in these two fields is summarized to establish the state of the art.

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