An origami-inspired structure with graded stiffness

Abstract Origami-inspired structures and mechanical metamaterials are often made up of individual tessellating repeat units, the folding and relative geometry of which determine the overall mechanical properties. If these units are identical, then the mechanical behaviour of the structure is uniform throughout, meaning that it is not able to adapt to changeable loading conditions. Here we create and study an origami structure, based on the Miura-ori folding pattern, which has a varying geometry over its volume and graded stiffness. Using kinematic analysis, we show how geometric parameters of the folding pattern can be varied to create both rigid foldable and self locking stages. We demonstrate both experimentally and numerically that the structure can achieve periodically graded stiffness when subjected to quasi-static out-of-plane compression, and the mechanical responses can be tuned by changing the underlying geometric design. We obtain a structure with superior energy absorption capability to uniform tessellating repeat units, and anticipate that this strategy could be extended to other structures and metamaterials to impart them with non-uniform and graded mechanical properties.

[1]  H. Ghariblu,et al.  Optimal shape design of functionally graded thickness inversion tubes subjected to oblique loading , 2017 .

[2]  Tarun Kant,et al.  A critical review of recent research on functionally graded plates , 2013 .

[3]  Levi H. Dudte,et al.  Geometric mechanics of periodic pleated origami. , 2012, Physical review letters.

[4]  Michael D. Gilchrist,et al.  Designing the energy absorption capacity of functionally graded foam materials , 2009 .

[5]  Shigeyasu Amada,et al.  Hierarchical Functionally Gradient Structures of Bamboo, Barley, and Corn , 1995 .

[6]  Bo Wang,et al.  The imperfection-sensitivity of origami crash boxes , 2017 .

[7]  Yi Min Xie,et al.  Energy absorption of thin-walled tubes with pre-folded origami patterns: Numerical simulation and experimental verification , 2016 .

[8]  Wan Abu Bakar Wan Abas,et al.  Development process of new bumper beam for passenger car: A review , 2012 .

[9]  Fabrizio Scarpa,et al.  SILICOMB PEEK Kirigami cellular structures: mechanical response and energy dissipation through zero and negative stiffness , 2013 .

[10]  Qing Li,et al.  Crashworthiness analysis and optimization of sinusoidal corrugation tube , 2016 .

[11]  Joseph M. Gattas,et al.  Quasi-static crushing of eggbox, cube, and modified cube foldcore sandwich structures , 2015 .

[12]  Jinkyu Yang,et al.  Reentrant Origami-Based Metamaterials with Negative Poisson's Ratio and Bistability. , 2015, Physical review letters.

[13]  G. Paulino,et al.  Unraveling metamaterial properties in zigzag-base folded sheets , 2015, Science Advances.

[14]  Mark Schenk,et al.  Geometry of Miura-folded metamaterials , 2013, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[15]  Xiaodong Huang,et al.  Comparison of functionally-graded structures under multiple loading angles , 2015 .

[16]  Tongxi Yu,et al.  Energy Absorption of Structures and Materials , 2003 .

[17]  Z. You,et al.  Miura-Base Rigid Origami: Parameterizations of First-Level Derivative and Piecewise Geometries , 2013 .

[18]  K. Kuribayashi,et al.  Self-deployable origami stent grafts as a biomedical application of Ni-rich TiNi shape memory alloy foil , 2006 .

[19]  Joseph M. Gattas,et al.  Quasi-static impact of indented foldcores , 2014 .

[20]  Jiayao Ma,et al.  Dynamic axial crushing of origami crash boxes , 2016 .

[21]  Shiwei Zhou,et al.  Crashworthiness design for functionally graded foam-filled thin-walled structures , 2010 .

[22]  Xiaoping Zhou,et al.  Origami mechanical metamaterials based on the Miura-derivative fold patterns , 2016, Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences.

[23]  Thomas C. Hull,et al.  Using origami design principles to fold reprogrammable mechanical metamaterials , 2014, Science.

[24]  Qing Li,et al.  Crashing analysis and multiobjective optimization for thin-walled structures with functionally graded thickness , 2014 .

[25]  H. Rix,et al.  The James Webb Space Telescope , 2006, astro-ph/0606175.

[26]  Kon-Well Wang,et al.  Asymmetric energy barrier and mechanical diode effect from folding multi-stable stacked-origami , 2017 .

[27]  Yan Chen,et al.  The Graded Origami Structures , 2015 .

[28]  Peter Schuster.  Current Trends in Bumper Design for Pedestrian Impact , 2006 .

[29]  Zhong You,et al.  Quasi-static axial crushing of thin-walled tubes with a kite-shape rigid origami pattern: Numerical simulation , 2016 .

[30]  Thomas C. Hull,et al.  Origami structures with a critical transition to bistability arising from hidden degrees of freedom. , 2015, Nature materials.

[31]  Tomohiro Tachi,et al.  Origami tubes assembled into stiff, yet reconfigurable structures and metamaterials , 2015, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[32]  D. Hua,et al.  Deformation behaviour in α/β two-phase super-plastic brass , 1992 .

[33]  Jiayao Ma,et al.  Energy Absorption of Thin-Walled Square Tubes With a Prefolded Origami Pattern—Part I: Geometry and Numerical Simulation , 2014 .

[34]  Thomas Scheibel,et al.  Polymer Gradient Materials: Can Nature Teach Us New Tricks? , 2012 .

[35]  Goran Konjevod,et al.  Origami based Mechanical Metamaterials , 2014, Scientific Reports.

[36]  D. Hua,et al.  Deformation behaviour in α/β two-phase super-plastic brass , 1992 .

[37]  Soroush Kamrava,et al.  Origami-based cellular metamaterial with auxetic, bistable, and self-locking properties , 2017, Scientific Reports.

[38]  Joseph M. Gattas,et al.  Geometric assembly of rigid-foldable morphing sandwich structures , 2015 .