Deployable toroidal structures based on modified Kresling pattern

Origami folding methods are increasingly becoming a vital factor in the advancement of deployable structures. The present study aims to the folding pattern design and deformation analyses of origami based deployable toroidal structures. A novel generalized algorithm is proposed to design sixfold line origami patterns for the development of circumferentially foldable/deployable toroidal structures. The proposed design approach is based on the mathematical optimization of the fold angles to accomplish perfect foldability and closure conditions. The foldability of the designed toroidal origami pattern is verified mathematically as well as by developing physical models. The angular deployment scheme is introduced to analyze the deformation behavior of the toroidal Kresling pattern numerically using pin-jointed wireframe technique. Later, a parametric study is performed to examine the influence of design parameters on the deployment strains under angular loading conditions, followed by a brief discussion about the absence of bistabililty phenomenon in the presented origami patterns. Moreover, the development procedure of paper based models of multi-story deployable toroidal sections is presented, and their shape accuracy is analyzed experimentally.

Automated summary

This study investigates the folding pattern design and deformation behavior of origami based deployable toroidal structures. A novel algorithm is proposed to design sixfold line origami patterns for circumferentially foldable/deployable toroidal structures. The foldability of the design is verified mathematically and experimentally. The deformation behavior of the toroidal Kresling pattern is analyzed numerically using a wireframe technique, and the influence of design parameters on the deployment strains is examined.