Experimental study of solid-liquid origami composite structures with improved impact resistance

In this paper, a liquid-solid origami composite design is proposed for the improvement of impact resistance. Employing this design strategy, Kresling origami composite structures with different fillings were designed and fabricated, namely air, water, and shear thickening fluid (STF). Quasi-static compression and drop-weight impact experiments were carried out to compare and reveal the static and dynamic mechanical behavior of these structures. The results from drop-weight impact experiments demonstrated that the solid-liquid Kresling origami composite structures exhibited superior yield strength and reduced peak force when compared to their empty counterparts. Notably, the Kresling origami structures filled with STF exhibited significantly heightened yield strength and reduced peak force. For example, at an impact velocity of 3 m/s, the yield strength of single-layer STF-filled Kresling origami structures increased by 772.7% and the peak force decreased by 68.6%. This liquid-solid origami composite design holds the potential to advance the application of origami structures in critical areas such as aerospace, intelligent protection and other important fields. The demonstrated improvements in impact resistance underscore the practical viability of this approach in enhancing structural performance for a range of applications.