Design and optimization of a novel multi-layer conical Kresling origami mechanism (MCKOM) for linear actuation

Abstract

To address the inevitable twisting issue of modular configurations with different morphological parameters, this paper takes conical Kresling units as the research object, and a novel multi-layer conical Kresling origami mechanism (MCKOM) for linear actuation is designed. The main body consists of m serially connected flat-foldable bistable units with the same chirality but different morphological parameters. The design objective of achieving pure linear actuation under torque drive is realized by introducing external systems. Kinematic coupling and inner product models are established and multi-objective optimization algorithms are employed to optimize the structure. Based on optimized values, simulation and experimental validation of the motion behavior are conducted using ABAQUS and prototypes. The results show that the total twist angle decreased by 10.076° and the inner product increased by 60,291.98 mm³. Furthermore, the crease vertices cutting eliminates the influence of internal pressure on the guiding plate's outward deviation and increases the folding ratio from 41.49 % to 48.88 % under experimental conditions. The proposed novel pure linear actuation mechanism can be applied in actuation scenarios that require the conversion of rotational motion into linear displacement.