Design and Kinematics of Origami Inspired Non-Prismatic Foldable Truss Modules

Abstract

Origami inspired deployable structures have received significant attention due to their exceptional kinematic and mechanical characteristics. Specifically, the cylindrical Kresling origami pattern has been extensively investigated for its multi-stable properties in past studies. This study presents the design and analysis of a novel non-prismatic foldable/deployable truss module inspired from the conical Kresling origami pattern. The intrinsic relationship between the kinematics and mechanics of non-prismatic foldable truss (NPFT) modules is investigated. First, the geometric design and the analytical modeling of the motion behavior of NPFT modules are presented, followed by the development of design maps considering a range of design parameters to demarcate the domains of qualitatively different deployment behavior. The numerical simulations were performed to validate the findings of analytical investigations. Later, the comparative analysis is presented to highlight the advancements of the proposed NPFT modules over conical Kresling truss structures. The programability of the deployment characteristics of NPFT modules is investigated considering different design parameters and the influence of scaling. The outcomes demonstrate that the proposed design of NPFT modules offers enhanced deployable and tunable properties along with ease of manufacturing for reconfigurable truss structures.