| 摘要 |
Reconfigurable, expandable-collapsible structures based upon negative Poisson's ratio (NPR) auxetic unit cells achieve rapidly deployable apparatus, devices and systems. A plurality of joint bodies, each joint body having a plurality of connection features, are coupled to interconnecting link members with opposing ends, each end including connection features that engage with the connection features of the joint bodies. The link members pivot about different axes relative to the joint bodies, thereby forming an expandable and collapsible structure having a height and a width. The link members form an array of geometric unit cells when the structure is expanded, and the height and the width of the structure when expanded are both greater than the height and the width of the structure when collapsed. In certain embodiments the structures have unit cells based upon triangles or bowtie shapes. |
| 主权项 |
1. An expandable-collapsible structure, comprising:
a plurality of joint bodies, each joint body having a plurality of connection features; a plurality of interconnecting link members with opposing ends, each end including connection features that engage with the connection features of the joint bodies such that the link members pivot about different axes relative to the joint bodies, thereby forming an expandable and collapsible structure having a height and a width; wherein the link members form an array of geometric unit cells, each unit cell comprising nested, expanding and contracting upper and lower V shapes; wherein each upper V shape includes first and second upper members A, B interconnected with an upper joint body, and each lower V shape includes first and second lower members C, D interconnected with a lower joint body, wherein the first upper member (A) and the first lower member (C) are interconnected through a first side joint body, and the second upper member (B) and the second lower member (D), are connected to a second side joint body, wherein the upper members A, B are the same length, and the lower members C, D are the same length but longer that the upper members A, B, such that the upper joint body is disposed directly above the lower joint body forming a nested-V unit cell, and wherein the upper, lower and side joint bodies are further connected to additional, respective nested V unit cells forming an auxetic structure; and wherein the height and the width of the structure when expanded are both greater than the height and the width of the structure when collapsed. |
