Kresling origami arrays: Structural design and bandgap modulation

Origami-inspired structural arrays demonstrate promising potential in the acoustic field due to their unique geometric configurations and mechanical properties. This study investigates the compressive characteristics and acoustic bandgap features of four origami column structures (Accordion, Kresling, Miura, and Yoshimura ori) through a combined experimental and theory approach. Mechanical testing results reveal that the Kresling origami structure exhibits superior deployable characteristics during compression, outperforming the other three origami structures in mechanical performance. The Kresling origami structure demonstrates pronounced acoustic sensitivity throughout its folding–unfolding cycle, featuring deployment-dependent and dynamically adjustable bandgap characteristics. Building upon these findings, we designed Kresling origami arrays by integrating cross origami, cut origami, and Miura origami as substrates combined with Kresling columns, respectively, to investigate their composite structural bandgap characteristics. Results have demonstrated that different combinations of origami structures exert a significant regulatory effect on overall acoustic performance, which establishes a theoretical basis for the design of new high-performance acoustic materials. Through systematic investigation, this study has not only established experimental data support and a theoretical framework for the acoustic application of origami structures but also enriched the fundamental understanding in the field of acoustic metamaterials.