Multi-directional nonlinear energy sink with quasi-zero stiffness property inspired by origami

• Axial and rotational vibration absorption is realized by the proposed NES. • The NES is proposed based on the QZS property of Kresling origami. • Nonlinear dynamics of the NES is investigated and parameter study is conducted. • A 3D-printed prototype is fabricated to show the effective absorption performance. Effective suppression of multi-directional vibrations remains challenging in engineering. Nonlinear energy sinks (NESs) with broadband vibration absorption have attracted significant attention. Meanwhile, origami-inspired structures have emerged as promising solutions for vibration suppression. However, NES for vibrations from multiple directions has been rarely reported. In this study, a Kresling origami NES (KONES) for axial-rotational vibration absorption is constructed using two Kresling origami bases with quasi-zero stiffness (QZS) property. The design map of the NES corresponding to different stable mechanisms in terms of intuitive 3D geometric parameters (height and rotational angle) is developed. Equilibria bifurcations occur at the region boundaries on the map, where the NES with design parameters at the supercritical pitchfork bifurcation achieves QZS property. The design parameters are further analytically validated by considering the stiffness matrix and QZS is then utilized to achieve NES. The governing equations of the system consisting of a primary structure and the KONES are derived, and its nonlinear normal modes under axial excitations are analyzed. A multi-body dynamic model of the system is also established and numerically simulated, and its responses under impulse excitations are in good agreement with the theoretical results. The one-to-one resonance and target energy transfer effects are examined, which show the effective performance of the KONES. The characteristics of interior damping and the influence of stiffness of the KONES on its performance are investigated, demonstrating absorption effectiveness across an ultra-wide excitation range. Furthermore, an experiment on the 3D-printable prototype is conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed KONES. This study provides new insights into designing multi-directional vibration absorbers based on origami structures, which are suitable for aerospace, precision machinery and other engineering.