Mechanics and dynamics of reconfigurable curved creased origami arrays

Abstract

The principles of origami have allowed for novel deployable and reconfigurable structures with applications from micro-robotics to adaptable architecture. Most origami patterns use rigorous mathematical definitions to achieve their desired folding kinematics; however, these geometries result in discrete and segmented structures that have sharp edges. In contrast, curved creased origami uses a more arbitrary placement of folds and can thus achieve smooth surfaces. These smooth surfaces can be useful for problems in acoustics, fluid flow, electromagnetics, wave-propagation, and more. In this talk, we first explore the geometry of the curved crease origami, where continuous curvatures and elastic bending occur over the entire surface of the thin sheet. We use a simplified bar and hinge model to approximate the folding sequence and model the behaviors of the curved crease origami. The model captures stretching and shearing of the origami, bending along principle curvature directions, and bending at the prescribed curved creases. We explore the stiffness, large deformation mechanics, buckling, and dynamic behaviors of the curved crease origami. Our results show that the curved folding can enable highly tuneable properties for these novel thin-sheet arrays.