Lee, T.U., Gattas, J.M. and Xie, Y.M., 2022. International Journal of Solids and Structures, 254, p.111864. [Link]
Kirigami techniques use prescribed arrangements of cuts and fold lines to transform 2D sheet materials into complex 3D forms. These sheet transformations occur via elastic deformations, rigid folding motions, and/or pop-up mechanisms; design techniques for kirigami patterns are correspondingly based on mechanics, kinematics, and physical prototyping.
This paper proposes a new family of pop-up kirigami patterns termed ‘bending-active kirigami’, which transform flat sheets into approximated double-curved surfaces using a simple 1-DOF actuation mechanism. A pattern design technique is first developed from a combination of the well-known ‘elastica’ solution for the large elastic deformation of slender rods, with the kinematic constraints imposed by a kirigami pop-up mechanism. This combination creates a rapid and intuitive design method for specification of a formed surface and its constituent kirigami pattern. An extended family of patterns are then developed based on other elastica solutions and pop-up mechanism types. Finally, a bending-active kirigami pattern is applied to the design of a deployable structure, with measurements of a physical prototype used to verify the developed design method.