  Origami-inspired structures have a rich design space, offering new
opportunities for the development of deployable systems that undergo large and
complex yet predictable shape transformations. There has been growing interest
in such structural systems that can extend uniaxially into tubes and booms. The
Kresling origami pattern, which arises from the twist buckling of a thin
cylinder and can exhibit multistability, offers great potential for this
purpose. However, much remains to be understood regarding the characteristics
of Kresling origami deployment. Prior studies have been limited to Kresling
structures' kinematics, quasi-static mechanics, or low-amplitude wave
responses, while their dynamic behaviors with large shape change during
deployment remain unexplored. These dynamics are critical to the system design
and control processes, but are complex due to the strong nonlinearity,
bistability, and potential for off-axis motions. To advance the state of the
art, this research seeks to uncover the deployment dynamics of Kresling
structures with various system geometries and operating strategies. A full,
six-degree-of-freedom model is developed and employed to provide insight into
the axial and off-axis dynamic responses, revealing that the variation of key
geometric parameters may lead to regions with qualitatively distinct mechanical
responses. Results illustrate the sensitivity of dynamic deployment to changes
in initial condition and small variations in geometric design. Further,
analyses show how certain geometries and configurations affect the stiffness of
various axial and off-axis deformation modes, offering guidance on the design
of systems that deploy effectively while mitigating the effects of off-axis
disturbances. Overall, the research outcomes suggest the strong potential of
Kresling-based designs for deployable systems with robust and tunable
performance.
