TAM/SPREE Seminar Series

Evgueni T. Filipov

Assistant Professor

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

University of Michigan

Simulating Elasticity and Contact in Origami-inspired Structures

Thin sheets folded into origami can create a rich variety of deployable, reconfigurable, and adaptable three-dimensional structures. The principles can be used in practical applications ranging from metamaterials and biomedical micro-robotics, to large-scale deployable architecture. This talk will present my group's work in creating mechanics based numerical models for simulating and designing origami-inspired structures at multiple scales. The models are computationally efficient because they use a simplified bar and hinge framework to capture the geometry of the origami, yet they are capable of simulating kinematics, elastic deformations, multi-stability, stiffness properties, and contact in the structures. Capturing contact within the origami is especially important because contact can interfere with the folding kinematics, and can change the mechanical characteristics of the structures. Finally, the talk will present scenarios of how we apply these analytical tools. For example, simulating the self-assembly of micro-robots, evaluating the high stiffness-to-weight ratio in origami tubes, and capturing the complex stiffness anisotropy in origami with curved creases.