Understand the wide range of lightweight structures for civil and aerospace engineering applications with this in-depth introductory guide. An essential toolkit that will inspire the imagination of engineers and provide an analytical foundation for all readers.

Koryo Miura is a prominent inventor in the field of space structures and a Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo and the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, JAXA. He invented the two-dimensionally deployable solar array as a fundamental step towards the Space Solar Power Station, which was successfully tested onboard the Space Solar Flyer Unit in 1996. He has also invented the tension truss concept for large deployable reflector antennas, adopted in several space missions. The basic geometric form called 'Miura-ori', invented by Miura, opened the door toward origami engineering.

Preface; 1. Truss structures; 2. Space frames; 3. Tension structures; 4. Tension-stabilized structures; 5. Shell structures; 6. Sandwich structures; 7. Packaging of membranes; 8. Concepts of deployable structures; 9. Applications of deployable structures; 10. Adaptive structures; Appendix A. Geometric foundations; Appendix B. Structural mechanics foundations; Appendix C. Essential bibliography; Appendix D. Bibliography; Index.