An Integrated Framework for Fabrication, Simulation, and Design of Functional Origami

Abstract

The elegant and simple idea of using origami to create 3D structures from 2D surfaces is suitable for designing engineering systems like soft robots, programmable metamaterials, smart facades, shareable infrastructures, and many more. This dissertation proposes an integrated framework on fabrication, simulation, and design of functional origami systems to overcome the limitations of state-of-the-art methods. This new framework can be used to build functional origami structures with superior and versatile functionalities for applications where programmability, 3D assembly, and dense packaging are desirable.

First, this dissertation introduces a versatile fabrication method for an electro-thermal micro-origami system that can accomplish superior controllability and complex functionality that is beyond the capability of existing micro-origami structures. A high-performance actuator, which can fold both elastically and plastically, is designed and integrated into these micro-origami structures to achieve multi-degree-of-freedom actuation and versatile shape morphing motion for complex functionality. The work in this chapter greatly extends the motion versatility and functional complexity of existing micro-origami systems. This electro-thermal micro-origami can be used for building functional micro-robots, surgery tools, transducers, and many other MEMS devices.

Next, this work introduces a simulation framework developed for functional origami structures, where three new models are created to capture complex behaviors within functional origami systems. The framework can simulate more realistic geometries of origami compliant creases, global panel contact between origami assemblages, and the multi-physical actuation in active origami. In addition, an open-access simulation package is developed to implement this framework and the package is published on GitHub. Together, the three models and the simulation package provide the much needed tools for capturing the behaviors of functional origami structures and pave the ground for future researches on optimization and inverse design of functional origami. The Appendix of this dissertation gives a thorough review of different origami simulation techniques. For the first time, this work systematically analyzes and categorizes different simulation techniques for origami-inspired systems so that future researchers can better select and develop origami simulations for their specific applications.

Finally, this dissertation harnesses an interpretable machine learning method to establish a holistic inverse design procedure of functional origami structures. This method can handle categorical features for comparing different origami patterns and tackles multi-objective problems for considering multi-physics performance targets. Moreover, the method enables existing geometry-based origami inverse design algorithms to further consider non-geometrical performance. The proposed method provides a holistic inverse design procedure for building superior functional origami systems.

In summary, this work provides novel methods for fabrication, simulation, and design of origami structures. The established methods in this dissertation complement existing tools of origami engineering and allow future researchers to build better functional origami systems for resolving practical engineering challenges.