Part of the Origami-Inspired Design research theme.

Deployable structures fold flat for transport and unfold on site. Research in the Lab uses origami geometry to design shelters, arches, and tubes that deploy rapidly and remain stiff and stable once deployed. Related work on deployment through elastic bending is described under Deployable (Bending-Active) Structures.

Morphing Sandwich Structures

Morphing sandwich structures were developed with a rigid-foldable core based on the Miura origami pattern, allowing them to change shape. An alternative mechanism, demonstrated with steel prototypes, gave enhanced stability and locking features compared with previous models. The concept was then extended to a new family of morphing sandwich structures, including fan-shaped, cylindrical, and conical mechanisms. These substituted the base Miura core pattern with a derivative, and attached faces that kept the assembly rigid-foldable and avoided self-intersection during deployment. Physical prototypes validated each mechanism. Further information: DOI: 10.1016/j.engstruct.2015.03.019.

Accordion Shelters

Two modified accordion-type shelter geometries were developed to improve structural stability and stiffness. The first, a distributed frame accordion shelter, separated fully folded accordion frames with spacer plates, which aligned transversely to improve stiffness and flexural rigidity while preserving floor area. The second, a diamond wall accordion shelter, added secondary wall elements to increase wall depth and address rotational-transverse displacements at roof–wall junctions. Both shelters were parameterised geometrically and built as full-scale prototypes, with good correlation between design and construction, and a numerical investigation confirmed their increased flexural rigidity compared with standard accordion forms. Further information: DOI: 10.1115/1.4032441.

Rigid-Foldable Tubular Arches

The structural feasibility of non-rectilinear rigid-foldable cellular materials was examined for deployable arch structures. The double-kite arch was a new folded tubular arch of this type, and its failure mechanisms, including hinge rotation and plate buckling, were analysed through experimental and numerical methods. A common geometric description was also established for three origami-inspired tubular arches. Under three-point loading, the double-kite arch had the highest failure load of the three. Further information: DOI: 10.1016/j.engstruct.2017.04.037.

Self-Locking Deployable Tubes

Deployable tubes must balance expandability against stiffness: compliant materials allow flexible transformation, but usually reduce stiffness under loads such as pressure on the tube wall. A self-locking mechanism addressed this by combining the folding behaviour of curved-crease origami with elastic shell buckling. Internal diaphragms underwent pseudo-folding within a confined boundary to give a snap-through transition, after which the deployed tube was locked by geometric interference into a braced tubular arrangement. The arrangement gave a direction-dependent response, from elastic behaviour to crushing, and could be applied to existing deployment mechanisms such as coiled and inflatable systems, and to metamaterials, adaptive structures, cantilevers, and lightweight panels. Further information: DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2409062121.

Prototypes and Exhibitions

Related Publications

Lee, T.-U., Lu, H., Ma, J., Ha, N. S., Gattas, J. M., & Xie, Y. M. (2024). Self-locking and stiffening deployable tubular structures. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(40), e2409062121. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2409062121

Gattas, J. M., Lv, W., & Chen, Y. (2017). Rigid-foldable tubular arches. Engineering Structures, 145, 246–253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2017.04.037

Lee, T.-U., & Gattas, J. M. (2016). Geometric design and construction of structurally stabilized accordion shelters. Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics, 8(3), 031009. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4032441

Cash, T. N., Warren, H. S., & Gattas, J. M. (2015). Analysis of miura-type folded and morphing sandwich beams. In ASME 2015 international design engineering technical conferences and computers and information in engineering conference, american society of mechanical engineers (pp. 1–9). https://doi.org/10.1115/DETC2015-46380

Gattas, J. M., & You, Z. (2015). Geometric assembly of rigid-foldable morphing sandwich structures. Engineering structures, 94, 149–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2015.03.019

Gattas, J. M. (2013). Morphing origami panels: Geometry and construction. In Proceedings of the 15th young researchers’ conference (pp. 40–41). IStructE.