A Static Analysis of Compression and Torsion of Kresling Origami Springs

Origami-inspired structures have increasingly been used to design various functional systems from solar cells to fluidic muscles due to their unique properties such as modulation of stiffness, and the extent of compressibility. Recently, Kresling origami springs (KOS) have gained large attention because they are deployed from compact cylindrical bellow-like structures while being able to exhibit several distinct restoring behaviours together with having a unique tension-torsion coupling. There have been few studies exploring the uniaxial response of KOS, but not the torsional aspect of the springs. In this short manuscript, we discuss the torsional response of KOS in terms of torque, relative rotation, torsional stiffness and their relation with the uniaxial response. We used a simple shell-based finite element model, specifically for KOS with a linear response (i.e. linear spring). The torsional behaviour of the KOS shown here along with the ease of manufacturing, cheap materials, and light and modular properties make origami-inspired systems a great fit for applications such as the design of torsional actuators.