Rotating coupling of chiral identical twins in multimodal Kresling metamaterials for achieving ultra-high energy absorption

Abstract Origami structures have been widely applied for various engineering applications due to their extraordinary mechanical properties. However, the relationship between in-plane rotating coupling and energy absorption of these Origami structures is seldom studied previously. The study proposes a design strategy that utilizes identical-twin rotation (i.e. simultaneous rotation with the same chirality) and fraternal-twin rotation (i.e. simultaneous rotation with the opposite chirality) of Kresling metamaterials to achieve multimodal rotation coupling and enhanced energy absorption. Deformation mode and energy absorption properties of 3D-printed Kresling metamaterials have been studied using both quasi-static compression tests and finite element analysis. Furthermore, effects of polygon units and their connections to 2D and 3D arrangements, which generate 4 × 4 arrays and 2 × 2 × 2 arrays, have been investigated to identify the optimized structures for achieving ultra-high energy absorption of chiral Kresling metamaterials. Results showed that rotating coupling of chiral identical twins in multimodal Kresling metamaterials possesses diverse deformation patterns and ultra-high energy absorption. This study provides a novel strategy to optimize structural designs and mechanical properties of the Kresling metamaterials.