Universality in the mechanics of soft Kirigami

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that the mechanical behavior of soft elastic sheet Kirigami follows universal scaling laws similar to paper Kirigami, despite differences in material properties and some theoretical assumptions.

Contribution

It provides experimental validation of universal scaling laws in Kirigami mechanics using soft elastic sheets, extending previous theories beyond paper-based models.

Findings

Good agreement with previous theories despite material differences

Universal scaling laws apply to soft elastic Kirigami

Insights into the mechanics of Kirigami for applications

Abstract

Recently, simple scaling laws concerning the mechanical response and mechanical transition of Kirigami have been revealed through agreement between theory and experiment for kirigami made of paper [M. Isobe and K. Okumura, Sci. Rep. 2016]. Here, we provide experimental data obtained from kirigami made of soft elastic sheets to demonstrate good agreement with previous theories, although a number of assumptions in the theory are violated and the elastic modulus is three orders of magnitude smaller in the present case. This remarkable universality in the mechanics of Kirigami, which could be useful for applications, is reported with physical insights based on previous theories.