Compressive Characteristics of Interleaved Origami Tube Metamaterials Based on the "Flip-Flop" Fold Pattern

This study investigates the compressive characteristics of rigidly folded interleaved origami tube metamaterials, following the “Flip-Flop” pattern, across principal directions. The geometry of the metamaterial’s fundamental unit is outlined, establishing theoretical models for compressive stresses in the [Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text]-directions and mean compressive stress in the [Formula: see text]-direction, which show strong agreement with numerical simulations. These simulations assess the effects of thickness-to-length ratio and angular parameters on compressive performance. When compared to hexagonal honeycomb structures, the findings indicate that, with carefully selected structural parameters, origami tube metamaterials exhibit superior energy absorption efficiency and compressive energy absorption characteristics, surpassing the constraints of relative density.