Honeycomb core sandwich panels for origami-inspired deployable shelters: Multi-objective optimization for minimum weight and maximum energy efficiency

Abstract

Rapidly deployable shelters, which can be packaged small but offer a high volume expansion ratio, are a critical asset for forward operating bases and can also be effective for disaster relief. Origami-inspired deployable shelters provide significant design advantages, including that (1) the rigid folded plates of these structures provide enhanced structural performance in the deployed form and (2) origami folds permit easy packaging in a small volume. Key design priorities include that the structure be lightweight and that it have thermal insulation for energy efficiency in heating and cooling. Energy efficiency is particularly critical for forward operating bases where fuel is at a premium. Honeycomb core sandwich panels, which provide a high stiffness to mass ratio, offer a lightweight option for rigid-wall origami-inspired shelters and can provide thermal insulation. A challenge in using this material, however, is the wide variety of options for material selection (for the face and core) and the thickness of each component. To achieve weight and energy efficiency priorities, this paper presents a multi-objective optimization procedure to design material properties of honeycomb core sandwich panels for minimum weight and maximum thermal resistance within the context of origami-inspired shelters. The novelty of this work includes the specific application to origami shelters, the simplified approach employed which approximates the structural behavior of the panels to avoid time-intensive finite element analyses, and a focus on selecting commercially available materials. While final design would require a three-dimensional finite element analysis, this procedure offers designers a valuable, simplified tool to rapidly narrow-in on sandwich panel configurations which are lightweight while offering thermal insulation. This approach is demonstrated for one origami-inspired topology which carries loads prescribed by the US Army Natick Soldier Research, Development & Engineering Center.