New Approach to Folding a Thin-Walled Yoshimura Patterned Cylinder

A new approach for folding the Yoshimura cylinder is proposed in this study. The proposed concept is based on a reconfiguration process involving a cylindrical structure with the Yoshimura pattern and the bellows fold pattern. Static analyses are conducted to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed folding methodology. A special case of folding is observed that does not create wrinkles in the fully folded state. A mathematical problem is established and three governing equations are derived from the problem. The special folding pattern is determined by solving the three governing equations. The most geometrically and structurally efficient configuration for the reconfigured cylinder is determined. A geometrical analysis is conducted for various configurations of the cylinder that can be observed in the proposed folding methodology. The proposed folding methodology folds the Yoshimura cylinder much more efficiently in terms of required force and stress compared to the conventional folding approach.