Bistable and tunable Kresling origami metamaterial for guiding elastic waves

In this research, we study a bistable and tunable Kresling origami metamaterial. Based on the change in design parameters of the Kresling origami, we consider three unit cells:

(1) non-deformable, (2) deformable, and (3) deformable - non-deformable. We numerically study the bistability of the proposed unit cells through static analysis. We study the dynamics of all three unit cells through numerical simulation by computing the dispersion curves. We utilize an external load to cause a systematic shape change in the origami metamaterial and tune the attenuation frequency bands within the dispersion curves. We further verify and validate the band structure calculation by examining the frequency response functions of finite structures numerically and experimentally. Such tunability allows us to design three different waveguiding devices by using different configurations of the proposed unit cells. The presented design principles can be utilized in many applications related to acoustic/elastic wave manipulation.