  Everted tubes have often been modeled as inflated beams to determine
transverse and axial buckling conditions. This paper seeks to validate the
assumption that an everted tube can be modeled in this way. The tip deflections
of everted and uneverted beams under transverse cantilever loads are compared
with a tip deflection model that was first developed for aerospace
applications. LDPE and silicone coated nylon beams were tested; everted and
uneverted beams showed similar tip deflection. The literature model best fit
the tip deflection of LDPE tubes with an average tip deflection error of 6 mm,
while the nylon tubes had an average tip deflection error of 16.4 mm. Everted
beams of both materials buckled at 83% of the theoretical buckling condition
while straight beams collapsed at 109% of the theoretical buckling condition.
The curvature of everted beams was estimated from a tip load and a known
displacement showing relative errors of 14.2% and 17.3% for LDPE and nylon
beams respectively. This paper shows a numerical method for determining
inflated beam deflection. It also provides an iterative method for computing
static tip pose and applied wall forces in a known environment.
