Tunable origami metamaterial with arbitrary single-curvature configuration

Abstract

Tunable waterbomb origami has attracted significant attention for its superior capability in structural reconfiguration, which is utilized to tailor the mechanical properties of metamaterials. Recent researches mainly focus on the kinematic analysis of waterbomb origami folding process to convert the planar crease pattern to a three-dimensional folded configuration. Nevertheless, the inverse problem, i.e., the design of crease patterns based on an arbitrary waterbomb origami configuration, is rarely studied. In the paper, an innovative “seven-crease” waterbomb pattern is proposed by modification of the classic “six-crease” waterbomb crease pattern. The new pattern design avoids the risk of self-penetration during folding process. Recursive algorithm and design constraints of the “seven-crease” waterbomb crease patterns are derived based on the kinematic relationship. The folding feasibility of the proposed crease pattern is validated against the finite element simulations of two sample models, which match well with the theoretical results.