Improving energy absorption of bidirectional self-locked structures and systems inspired by origami crease

The bidirectional self-locked (BS) structure/system proposed recently has a broad application prospect as energy absorber in the actual situation. Through the energy absorption mechanism analysis for BS structure, some novel BS structures with groove inspired by origami crease are developed to improve the energy absorption by increasing the plastic deformation element during crushing process. The energy absorption of BS structure is conducted on lateral compression, and theoretical analysis based on the super folding element (SFE) model is proposed to reveal mechanism. Finite element analysis models and experiments are conducted to compare the energy absorption of all BS systems assembled by BS structure under oblique compression. According to experimental results, BS structure has been maximum increased by 55.6% and 68.3% in the specific energy absorption (SEA) and mean crushing force (Fm), respectively. Additionally, combining experiment and simulation results, it has been observed that the SEA of BS system is maximum increased 100.0%. Ultimately, this work achieves the improvement of energy absorption for the BS structure/system, advancing its application in the field of energy absorption.