3D Printed Deployable Origami Patterns at Intermediate Folding Configurations for Wave Guiding Applications

Origami-based engineering employs the use of complex reconfigurable structures for a variety of applications in science and engineering. Most origami-inspired structures are designed to be fully deployed, yet wave guiding arrays require deployment to stable intermediate folding configurations to focus waves. Furthermore, current research for origami-inspired wave guiding does not study kinetic and kinematic behavior during compaction and deployment. In this study, the force required to compact the Miura-ori unit cell with compliant joints is investigated for intermediate folding configurations. By starting at intermediate folding angles, the maximum force to reach a fully compact shape can be reduced by over an order of magnitude compared to starting at a flat state.