Origami-inspired design is an emerging field capable of producing compact and efficient designs. The object of a surrogate fold is to provide a foldlike motion in a nonpaper material without undergoing yielding. Compliant mechanisms provide a means to achieve these objectives as large deflections are achieved. The purpose of this paper is to present a continuum of compliant joints capable of achieving motions not currently available with existing compliant joints. A series of compliant joints are presented in which the joint can be designed to allow or resist a variety of secondary motions. Closed-form solutions are presented for these compliant joints.

Elastic absorption of kinetic energy and distribution of impact forces are required in many applications. Recent attention to the potential for using origami in engineering may provide new methods for energy absorption and force distribution. A three-stage strategy is presented for selecting materials for such origami-inspired designs that can deform to achieve a desired motion without yielding, absorb elastic strain energy, and be lightweight or cost effective. Two material indices are derived to meet these requirements based on compliant mechanism theory. Finite element analysis is used to investigate the effects of the material stiffness in the Miura-ori tessellation on its energy absorption and force distribution characteristics compared with a triangular wave corrugation. An example is presented of how the method can be used to select a material for a general energy absorption application of the Miura-ori. Whereas the focus of this study is the Miura-ori tessellation, the methods developed can be applied to other tessellated patterns used in energy absorbing or force distribution applications.

Origami-inspired design is an emerging field capable of producing compact and efficient designs. Compliant hinges are proposed as a way to replicate the folding motion of paper when using non-paper materials. Compliant hinges function as surrogate folds and can be defined as localized reduction of stiffness. The purpose of this paper is to organize and evaluate selected surrogate folds for use in compliant mechanisms. These surrogate folds are characterized based on the desired motion as well as motions typically considered parasitic. Additionally the surrogate folds’ ability to rotate through large deflections and their stability of center of rotation are evaluated. Existing surrogate folds are reviewed and closed-form solutions presented. A diagram intended as a straightforward design guide is presented. Areas for potential development in the surrogate fold design space are noted.

Origami-inspired design is an emerging field capable of producing compact and efficient designs. Compliant hinges are proposed as a way to replicate the folding motion of paper when using nonpaper materials. Compliant hinges function as surrogate folds and can be defined as localized reduction of stiffness. The purpose of this paper is to organize and evaluate selected surrogate folds for use in compliant mechanisms. These surrogate folds are characterized based on the desired motion as well as motions typically considered parasitic. Additionally, the surrogate folds' ability to rotate through large deflections and their stability of center of rotation are evaluated. Existing surrogate folds are reviewed and closed-form solutions presented. A diagram intended as a straightforward design guide is presented. Areas for potential development in the surrogate fold design space are noted.