Structural design of a novel tubular honeycomb origami metamaterial with quasi-zero Poisson’s ratio

Origami tubes have been extensively utilized across various scenarios, particularly in the field of load-bearing structures. In this study, a double-vertex seven-crease origami mechanism with parallel rigid folding capabilities is synthesized based on the classical single-vertex four-crease rigid origami design by employing the spatial vector method and matrix coordinate transformations. Subsequently, a kinematic model of the mechanism is established to elucidate the effects of geometric parameters on its transverse dimensional variations during the folding process. Furthermore, through modular expansion, an Orthogonal Honeycomb Tubular Origami Metamaterial (OHTOM) is developed, featuring an internal composition of two mutually orthogonal reentrant honeycombs arranged alternately. When applied as load-bearing configurations, a simplified Accordion Honeycomb Tubular Origami Metamaterial (AHTOM) is designed for comparison. The results reveal that under axial compression, the radial dimensions of both structures exhibit negligible variations. However, the load-bearing capacity of the OHTOM is approximately 4 to 6 times larger than that of the AHTOM. Notably, the maximum load of the OHTOM approached 8619 N, exceeding 3517.96 times the weight of the prototype (∼245 g). Ultimately, this research demonstrates that the proposed OHTOM simultaneously possesses quasi-zero Poisson’s ratio (QZPR) characteristics, alongside extraordinary load-bearing capacity and exceptional shape retention capability.