Origami tubes assembled into stiff, yet reconfigurable structures and metamaterials

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Structural Engineering

Background:

• Thin sheets exhibit increased stiffness when deformed or assembled.
• Origami principles offer pathways for creating deployable and adaptable structures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel method for coupling origami tubes using a "zipper" orientation.
• To investigate the impact of this coupling on structural stiffness and deformation modes.
• To explore the potential for designing deployable, stiffened, and tunable structures and metamaterials.

Main Methods:

• Coupling rigidly foldable origami tubes in a unique "zipper" fashion.
• Analyzing deformation modes through overconstrained tubular assemblages engaging thin sheets in tension and compression.
• Investigating the eigenvalue bandgap resulting from the zipper coupling.

Main Results:

• The "zipper" coupling substantially increases system stiffness.
• Only one flexible deformation mode (localized bending) is permitted, while global bending and twisting are significantly stiffer.
• An unusually large eigenvalue bandgap was observed, indicating distinct stiffness differences between modes.
• Coupling compatible origami tubes into cellular assemblages enhances mechanical properties and geometric versatility.

Conclusions:

• The zipper-coupled origami tubes offer a new design paradigm for deployable structures and metamaterials.
• This approach enhances mechanical properties, versatility, and adaptivity for applications across various scales.
• The method provides practical solutions for creating tunable, stiffened, and adaptable thin-sheet systems.