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The aim of the experimental campaign was to assess and observe the biaxial tensile mechanical response of a rib-bons structure as part of an inflatable module of space habitats. The structure consists of orthogonal Zylon™ and Kevlar™ ribbons connected at crossover by Nylon thread seams. A clamping system was designed and manufactured to reproduce the biaxial loading condition supposed in the inflatable module application. The tests were assisted by a digital image correla-tion system. The images post-processing allowed the observa-tion and measurement of the full field strain of the different connection schemes. The results of the tests show the excellent mechanical performance of the ribbons structure at the maxi-mum biaxial load level without visible damage. Keywords Inflatable module . Ribbon structure . Biaxial mechanical behaviour . Digital image correlation This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Experimental Techniques.

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