Geometric design and energy absorption of a new deployable cylinder tube

Abstract

A new prefolded tube is proposed by introducing web into a thin-walled tube based on “Miura origami”. The quasi-static compression analysis of this tube shows that the web has an important influence on deformation mode and energy absorption. Compared with a circular tube, the new thin-walled tube not only maintains the superior performance of low initial peak force and induced deformation mode, but also has a better energy absorption capacity. The influences of the number of units, edges, and prefolding angle on the deformation process of the new thin-walled tube are determined through parameter analysis. An optimized structure is designed, and the initial peak force is reduced. The energy absorption of the new structure under quasi-static compression is also theoretically analyzed, and the theoretical results are in good agreement with the numerical simulation results.