Unravelling Metamaterial Properties in Zigzag-base Folded Sheets

TL;DR

This paper explores the geometric and mechanical properties of zigzag-based origami and kirigami folded sheets, expanding design possibilities for metamaterials with tunable Poisson's ratios for various applications.

Contribution

It introduces a new class of cellular folded sheet metamaterials combining origami and kirigami, with analytical and numerical analysis of their mechanical properties.

Findings

Materials can exhibit both negative and positive in-plane Poisson's ratios.

Expanded design space of Miura-ori enables new applications.

Analytical and numerical models validate the mechanical behavior.

Abstract

Creating complex spatial objects from a flat sheet of material using origami folding techniques has attracted attention in science and engineering. In the present work, we employ geometric properties of partially folded zigzag strips to better describe the kinematics of the known zigzag/herringbone-base folded sheet metamaterials such as the Miura-ori. Inspired by the kinematics of a one-degree of freedom zigzag strip, we introduce a class of cellular folded sheet mechanical metamaterials comprising different scales of zigzag strips in which the class of the patterns combines origami folding techniques with kirigami. Employing both analytical and numerical models, we study the key mechanical properties of the folded materials. Particularly, we show that, depending on the geometry, these materials exhibit both negative and positive in-plane Poisson's ratio. By expanding the design space of the Miura-ori, our class of patterns is potentially appropriate for a wide range of applications, from mechanical metamaterials to deployable structures at both small and large scales.