Main J A, Peterson S W, Strauss A M
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, USA.
J Spacecr Rockets. 1994 Nov-Dec;31(6):1115-22. doi: 10.2514/3.26567.
This paper evaluates the factors that control the flexibility of fabric space-suit elements, in particular gloves, by examining a bending model of a pressurized fabric tube. Results from the model are used to evaluate the design strategies used in space-suit components, to evaluate the current direction in research on highly mobile space-suit gloves and to suggest changes necessary for optimum glove fabric selection. Finally it is shown that the modulus of the fabric used in space-suit joint construction is as important to the flexibility of the joint as the glove size and design.