Design, mechanical characteristics evaluation, and energy absorption of multi-story Kresling origami-inspired structures

This study investigates how combination of different stories in a Kresling origami-inspired structure design can improve the desired mechanical characteristics such as fatigue, stability, modal, energy analyses, and folding pattern. Because of the possibility of fatigue failure and axial buckling, we provide a crease modeling approach that could improve the mechanical characteristics as well as the folding efficiency. In the first step, we observe the folding pattern of an origami structure design composed of multiple stories. It is shown that every two stories have a similar folding pattern. If the number of stories is odd, the middle one experiences different behavior. In the next step, we employ different heights, length ratios, and rotation directions of stories in the designs to demonstrate how these variations affect origami’s mechanical properties. It is indicated that the structure with the same story height can enhance the life cycles while decreasing the stories’ height can postpone the buckling failure. Although the stability of the structure can be compromised if there are more stories with greater length ratios, it can achieve the highest total strain energy level in the folding operation and improves fatigue life. Furthermore, it is determined that the stories’ rotation does not affect the folding process. In the reverse rotation, the stability is decreased substantially, but the life cycles are slightly reduced.