Unraveling metamaterial properties in zigzag-base folded sheets

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Applied Physics

Background:

• Origami folding techniques enable the creation of complex 3D structures from flat sheets.
• Existing zigzag/herringbone-base folded sheet metamaterials, like Miura-ori, demonstrate unique kinematic properties.
• There is a need for novel metamaterials with tunable mechanical properties and diverse applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a new class of cellular folded mechanical metamaterials based on zigzag strips.
• To explore the kinematics and mechanical properties of these novel origami-kirigami hybrid materials.
• To unify and extend the concept of in-plane Poisson's ratio for zigzag-base folded sheet materials.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing geometric properties of partially folded zigzag strips.
• Developing analytical and numerical models to study material behavior.
• Combining origami folding with kirigami principles.

Main Results:

• A new class of mechanical metamaterials inspired by zigzag strip kinematics is presented.
• These materials demonstrate tunable in-plane Poisson's ratios (both positive and negative).
• The expanded design space offers suitability for applications ranging from metamaterials to deployable structures.

Conclusions:

• The introduced zigzag-base materials represent a significant expansion of Miura-ori designs.
• These metamaterials offer versatile mechanical properties applicable to various scales and functions.
• The study unifies the understanding of Poisson's ratio in related folded sheet materials.