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Draft:Kresling pattern

  • Comment: Why have you not included images? In addition, incorporating two very recent primary sources weakens the page. Ldm1954 (talk) 06:37, 8 June 2026 (UTC)

The Kresling pattern, also known as Kresling origami, is an origami-inspired cylindrical folding pattern composed of repeated triangular facets arranged around a polygonal tube. Compression or extension of the structure is coupled with rotation, causing one end of the tube to twist relative to the other.[1][2]

Depending on its geometry, materials and construction, a Kresling-pattern structure can exhibit spring-like behaviour, tunable stiffness and monostable, bistable or multistable mechanical responses.[2][3] Kresling-pattern structures have been investigated for use in deployable structures, mechanical metamaterials, robotics, sensing, actuation, switching, energy harvesting and energy absorption.[2]

Geometry

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A Kresling unit generally consists of two polygonal end profiles connected by a triangulated and corrugated sidewall. The triangular facets and fold lines form a periodic chiral arrangement around the longitudinal axis of the structure.[1][2]

As the distance between the end profiles changes, one profile rotates relative to the other. The resulting movement combines axial translation with torsion.[1] The dimensions of the facets, the number of sides, the relative rotation of the end profiles and the properties of the material influence the stiffness, stability and deployment path of the unit.[2][3]

Multiple Kresling units can be connected to form longer structures. Units with the same or opposite chirality can be combined to produce different relationships between axial displacement and rotation.[2]

Mechanical behaviour

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The coupled axial and rotational motion allows a Kresling structure to act as both a compression element and a torsional element.[2] Some configurations possess a single stable equilibrium, while others possess two or more stable configurations between which the structure can switch.[2][3]

The deployment of a Kresling structure may include axial translation, rotation and off-axis movement. Numerical and experimental research has shown that its deployment path can be affected by geometry, stiffness, initial conditions and disturbances away from the longitudinal axis.[3]

Origin and development

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The Kresling pattern is associated with the twist buckling of thin cylindrical or prismatic shells. Biruta Kresling studied naturally occurring and artificial folding structures in which twisting produces regular triangulated corrugations and compact deployable configurations.[1][4]

In a 2026 paper, Kresling described an internal geometric mechanism that she termed the Sareh twist and applied it to origami tessellations and folding cylindrical structures.[4] The paper related this mechanism to a twist principle previously identified by Pooya Sareh in crystallographic origami tessellations derived from the Miura-ori.[4]

A companion article published in Scilight described Kresling's extension of the twist concept to structures that fold naturally under external loading. It distinguished cones with a single collapsing point from tubes with multiple collapsing points, identifying the tubular configuration as the Kresling pattern.[5]

Applications

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Deployable structures and springs

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Kresling-pattern structures can be compressed into compact forms and extended into tubular configurations. These properties have led to their investigation as deployable booms, lightweight structural components and origami-inspired springs.[2]

The force–displacement response of a Kresling spring can be adjusted through changes to its geometry and material properties. This allows structures to be designed with different stiffness, stability and energy-absorption characteristics.[2]

Mechanical metamaterials

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Individual Kresling units and arrays of units have been studied as mechanical metamaterials. In these systems, properties such as stiffness, chirality, stability and energy absorption are influenced by the geometry and arrangement of the folded units.[2][1]

Robotics and actuation

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Kresling-pattern units have been used in soft and deployable robotic systems because compression or extension can generate controlled rotation and axial movement. Research reviewed in 2024 included applications in crawling robots, actuators, mechanical switches and reconfigurable mechanisms.[2]

Sensing and energy systems

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Other investigated applications include force sensing, vibration control, energy harvesting and impact-energy absorption.[2] These applications make use of the pattern's deployability, modular construction and adjustable mechanical response.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Misseroni, Diego; Pratapa, Phanisri P.; Liu, Ke; Kresling, Biruta; Chen, Yan; Daraio, Chiara; Paulino, Glaucio H. (2024). "Origami engineering". Nature Reviews Methods Primers. 4 (1). Article 40. doi:10.1038/s43586-024-00313-7.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Masana, Ravindra; Dalaq, Ahmed S.; Khazaaleh, Shadi; Daqaq, Mohammed F. (2024). "The Kresling origami spring: a review and assessment". Smart Materials and Structures. 33 (4). Article 043002. doi:10.1088/1361-665X/ad2f6f.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Kidambi, Narayanan; Wang, Kon-Well (2020). "Dynamics of Kresling origami deployment". Physical Review E. 101 (6). Article 063003. arXiv:2003.10411. doi:10.1103/PhysRevE.101.063003. PMID 32688523.
  4. 1 2 3 Kresling, Biruta (26 February 2026). "The Sareh twist: A hidden geometric principle in origami tessellations". Journal of Applied Physics. 139 (8). Article 084904. doi:10.1063/5.0304558.
  5. ↑ Patrick, Chris (26 February 2026). "Unfolding a twist hidden in origami structures". Scilight. 2026 (9). Article 091106. doi:10.1063/10.0042968.
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