A graded Miura-ori phononic crystals lens

As an art of paper folding, origami has inspired designs of diverse tailorable mechanical structures within physics and engineering communities. In this letter, by introducing a unilateral gradient on the Miura-ori crease pattern, we realize a gradient-index (GRIN) origami phononic crystal (PC) lens. The width distribution of a pair of adjacent panels is designed to allow the graded Miura-ori PC lens to have a refractive index variation highest at the center axis and a hyperbolic secant gradient distribution along a direction transverse to the direction of the Lamb wave propagation. The folding angle-dependent gradient refractive index distribution gradually bends and focuses the incident waves at different frequencies toward the center axis. Both numerical modeling and experimental verification are conducted to validate the focusing of the plane wave on the graded Miura-ori PC lens. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Origami as an art form has been utilized to create a gradient-index phononic crystal lens, allowing for focusing and modulation of incident waves through folding angles. The intricate design of the folding structure enables originally planar waves to be effectively focused towards the center axis.