Design of a 3D Wing Honeycomb Core Based on Origami Techniques

Honeycomb cores, which offer substantial weight reductions in design, are used in various engineering fields. For antenna reflector and rotor blade designs, Three-dimensional (3D) honeycomb cores are in considerable demand. 3D honeycombs are typically manufactured by curving or carving flat honeycombs. High associated manufacturing costs have limited their application. The authors of this paper investigated a new honeycomb design and manufacturing method called “kirigami honeycomb.” Resembling origami, kirigami honeycomb allows a single flat sheet of material with periodic slits to be folded into a honeycomb shape. Previous studies have reported successful use of this method to create various honeycomb shapes, changing only the folding line diagrams (FLDs). These previous studies have, however, considered only one-directional cross-section modifications; the core thickness and curvature changed in only the W-direction. This study proposes a new method that will support complex 3D double-curved honeycomb designs made from single flat sheets. A newly defined crease pattern conversion method provides arbitrary scaling of the honeycomb shape in the L-direction. The combined FLD and pattern conversion design methods encourage the cost-effective manufacture of 3D wing shaped honeycombs from single flat paper sheets. Wind or tidal power generation industries that use rotor blades could benefit from this design.