Large-scale modular and uniformly thick origami-inspired adaptable and load-carrying structures

Area of Science:

• Civil Engineering
• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering

Background:

• Traditional civil engineering structures possess limited adaptability for evolving functional requirements or environmental changes.
• While origami principles offer dense packaging and reconfiguration, existing systems lack scalability for large, load-bearing structures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish modular and uniformly thick origami-inspired structures capable of deploying into meter-scale configurations.
• To enable adaptable shapes, reconfigurability, and significant load-carrying capacity in large-scale structures.

Main Methods:

• Derivation of general conditions for degree-N origami vertices to be flat-foldable, developable, and uniformly thick.
• Design and fabrication of modular origami-inspired structures based on derived geometric principles.

Main Results:

• Demonstration of meter-scale deployable structures with high modularity for repair and functional adaptation.
• Validation of multi-path folding for efficient reconfiguration between storage and structural states.
• Confirmation of uniform thickness enabling the structures to carry remarkably large loads.

Conclusions:

• The developed modular and uniformly thick origami-inspired structures offer a paradigm shift for civil engineering, enabling large-scale, adaptable, deployable, and load-bearing solutions.
• Potential applications extend to aerospace systems, space habitats, and robotics, highlighting the versatility of the design principles.