Deformation of the Miura-ori patterned sheet

• The deformation behavior of the Miura-ori patterned sheet is investigated.
• The patterned sheet is made of copolymer Elvaloy, capable of elastic deformations.
• In-plane properties, not reported before, are investigated.
• The energy absorption capacities of the patterned sheet have been investigated.

The Miura-ori pattern possesses intriguing mechanical features, namely, the one Degree Of Freedom mobility, auxetic in-plane behavior and energy absorption capability, for applications such as core to sandwich structure, shock absorber, airless tire, etc. To realize the folding mechanism of Miura-ori, in this paper a Miura-ori patterned sheet was made from copolymer Elvaloy by compression molding, and then its deformation behavior was investigated experimentally and by using finite element analysis. The intrinsic mechanical properties of Elvaloy were obtained by tensile and four-point-bending tests, respectively, and subsequently used in the finite element (FE) simulation. For utilizing the sheet in all the principal directions, three types of tests were conducted: out-of-plane compression, three-point-bending and in-plane compressions. FE simulations using Abaqus/Explicit were carried out to analyze the deformations of the patterned sheet under the same loading as that in the tests. The simulation results were then compared with the tests, which show good agreements. Based on the simulation results, the deformation patterns of the patterned sheet under different loading conditions were examined, as well as the energy absorption capacity.