Deployable structures are prefabricated space frames consisting of str
aight bars linked together in the factory as a compact bundle, which c
an then be unfolded into large-span, load-bearing structural forms by
simple articulation. The specific deployable structures investigated i
n this study are characterized by being self-standing and stress-free
when fully closed or fully deployed. In order to achieve this behaviou
r, a detailed geometric design is required which consists of deriving
and solving sets of nonlinear geometric and trigonometric equations. T
he symbolic manipulation package Mathematica is used for the geometric
design of near-spherical deployable structures. This application demo
nstrates the great potential of symbolic manipulation as a tool for en
gineering design. (C) 1997 Civil-Comp Ltd and Elsevier Science Ltd.