Ultra-thin composites membrane for deployable structures: XCT driven characterization and FE modeling of folding structure

Light-weight, ultra-thin, high performance, origami-inspired deployable folding structures can be fabricated by simulating various designs and material combinations. In this study, an XCT-driven finite element (FE) model of a building block in a typical full-scale origami structure consisting of stiff and fold regions was developed. Following our previous work, the stiff region of the fold sample was fabricated using a hot compression molding technique whereas hand layup was employed for the fold region. XCT-driven FE based homogenization was carried out on an RVE of real microstructure of both ultra-thin composite laminates. The FE homogenization results were found to be in good agreement with the experimentally-measured effective stiffness properties of both the stiff and fold regions, with a maximum error of similar to 10%. Folding tests were conducted on a simple fold and the force vs. displacement and moment vs. curvature curves were plotted. The applicability of XCT-driven FE modeling to simulate foldable structures were demonstrated using post-buckling and bending analysis available in the FE software ABAQUS (R). A uniform and symmetric fold curvature, along with the corresponding force vs. displacement response were predicted using XCT-driven FE techniques and found to be in good agreement with data from the experimental tests. The peak force predicted by the FE model showed an error of similar to 5.2% compared to the experimental fold test.

Automated summary

In this study, a finite element model driven by XCT was developed to simulate the folding characteristics of origami structures, and the results showed good agreement with experimental data. The study demonstrates the potential application of XCT-driven FE modeling in simulating foldable structures.