Session: MR-04-01 - Origami-Based Engineering Design

Paper Number: 90045

90045 - Deployable Space-Filling Mechanisms: Asymmetric Zipper-Coupled Tubes and Smooth Sheet Attachments 

Zipper-coupled tubes constructed from Miura-ori cells are a unique structure consisting of two tubes, which, when coupled in a zipper fashion, resist compression in the normal direction.  Although the deployability and directional stability of zipper-coupled tubes make them very useful for structures of all scales, their jagged surfaces may be less desirable in applications such as smooth architecture and medical devices. Furthermore, as demonstrated in this paper, the symmetric Miura-ori cell is an overly restrictive base unit. We address these limitations by generalizing the construction of zipper-coupled tubes to allow for asymmetry and designing an attaching mechanism that provides a smooth surface when the zipper-coupled tubes are fully deployed.  These augmentations offer enhanced design options for zipper-coupled tubes in applications utilizing deployable space-filling mechanisms.

Thus, in this paper we demonstrate how to (1) construct asymmetric zipper-coupled tubes based on an asymmetric degree-four vertex and (2) define an origami pattern which attaches to the asymmetric zipper-coupled tubes pattern and unfolds into a smooth sheet. In addition, we provide a clear design method for our structure and explicitly define the transformations that model its motion. Combined, these mechanisms form a versatile, origami-inspired device for applications requiring a sturdy, deployable, space-filling structure, featuring a smoothing outer surface when deployed, if desired.

Presenting Author: Dylan C. Webb Brigham Young University

Presenting Author Biography: Dylan Webb is a Senior in the undergraduate applied mathematics program at Brigham Young University. He competes for the university annually in the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition and serves as Vice President of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics university chapter, where he prepares students for graduate programs and roles in industry. As an assistant to Dr. Denise Halverson in the Compliant Mechanisms Research Group at BYU, he enjoys exploring the mathematical relations in origami-inspired design. He interns for Chicago Venture Partners as a data engineer, and his current interests include deployable structures and machine learning.

Authors:

Dylan C. Webb Brigham Young University
Elissa Reynolds Brigham Young University
Denise Halverson BYU Mathematics Department
Larry Howell Brigham Young University