Keywords

origami mechanisms, bistable structures, thickness accomodations

Abstract

Origami-based mechanisms can provide useful capabilities in folding large structures to stow in small volumes. However, when using monolithic thick-sheet materials for these types of mechanisms, accommodating the thickness proves challenging. One approach to solve this is to create compliant mechanisms along the fold lines that inherently store energy when actuated and causes the mechanism to tend toward its low energy state. This tendency can be used to create bistable states. We outline a method to use this stored energy to achieve bistable states and name the resulting mechanism an origami-based “Thickness-accommodating bistable interior vertex” (TABIV) in monolithic thick-sheet materials. The kinematics and energy displacement relationships of this mechanism are derived. Prototypes are shown to exhibit the predicted bistable behavior and the mechanism is integrated and prototyped into origami based mechanisms demonstrating advantageous multi-stable behaviors.

Original Publication Citation

Pehrson, N.A., Magleby, S.P., and Howell, L.L., “An Origami-based Thickness-accommodating Bistable Mechanism in Monolithic Thick-sheet Materials,” Proceedings of the 4th IEEE/IFToMM International Conference on Reconfigurable Mechanisms & Robotics, Delft, The Netherlands, June 20-22, 2018, paper #7, 978-1-5386-6380-6/18.

Document Type

Conference Paper

Publication Date

2018

Publisher

Proceedings of the 4th IEEE/IFToMM International Conference on Reconfigurable Mechanisms & Robotics

Language

English

College

Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering

Department

Mechanical Engineering

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

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