Deployable scissor arch for transitional shelters

Disaster relief shelters must be transitional, meaning capable of serving an affected community fromemergency,
to rehabilitation, to reconstruction. Deployable scissor structures are well-suited for this application since they
are lightweight, can be compactly packaged, and have a high volume expansion ratio. Their constitutive parts
can be reused and reconfigured to facilitate rehabilitation and reconstruction. This paper presents a preliminary
concept for a deployable scissor shelter, including its design, analysis, and experimental validation on a full-scale
prototype. First, the conceptual design and analysis using a parametric finite element method are presented.
Testing of the prototype is then employed to evaluate the deployment process, support conditions and stiffening
elements. Experimental data from these studies validates results from the finite element model, suggesting that
the modeling tool is effective for the design of transitional shelters. A final design is presented which meets the
requirements of the European Standards.