Origami-inspired quasi-zero stiffness metamaterials for low-frequency multi-direction vibration isolation

Abstract

Multi-directional low-frequency vibration isolation is an unavoidable problem in many practical engineering scenarios. However, to date, most works are unable to achieve this goal, and those that can do so only to some degree, but their structure is complex and large, limiting the range of applications in practical engineering. Here, we propose a kind of quasi-zero stiffness (QZS) metamaterial constructed from a series of Kresling-pattern origami-inspired structures, whose simple topology with reasonable design parameters can obtain the expected QZS features. Moreover, the decoupling strategy adopted by the proposed QZS metamaterials allows for the independent motion of adjacent unit cells, resulting in an improvement in controllability and programmability. We demonstrate, both in simulations and experiments, the design process and the multi-directional low-frequency vibration isolation characteristics of the proposed QZS metamaterial. This study provides a method for realizing multi-directional low-frequency vibration isolation, expanding the application potential of QZS metamaterials for broader needs.