Produced with techniques borrowed from Japanese paper-cutting, the strong metal lattices are lighter than cork and have customizable mechanical properties. Cellular solids are materials composed of many cells that have been packed together, such as a honeycomb. The shape of those cells largely de
MIT researchers used kirigami, the art of Japanese paper cutting and folding, to develop ultrastrong, lightweight materials that have tunable mechanical properties, like stiffness and flexibility. These materials could be used in airplanes, automobiles, or spacecraft. Credit: Courtesy of the researchers
The MIT researchers modified a common origami crease pattern, known as a Miura-ori pattern, so the sharp points of the corrugated structure are transformed into facets. The facets, like those on a diamond, provide flat surfaces to which the plates can be attached more easily, with bolts or rivets.
Because these structures are lightweight but strong, stiff, and relatively easy to mass-produce at larger scales, they could be especially useful in architectural, airplane, automotive, or aerospace components. Using their method, researchers produced aluminum structures with a compression strength of more than 62 kilonewtons, but a weight of only 90 kilograms per square meter. Credit: Courtesy of the researchers
For instance, based on the way the folds are designed, some cells can be shaped so they hold their shape when compressed while others can be modified so they bend. In this way, the researchers can precisely control how different areas of the structure will deform when compressed. “To make things like cars and airplanes, a huge investment goes into tooling. This manufacturing process is without tooling, like 3D printing. But unlike 3D printing, our process can set the limit for record material properties,” Gershenfeld says.
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