Shape-retaining beam-like morphing structures via localized snap through

Abstract: In this study, we present a concept of morphing structure -- featuring an arch mounted on a compliant base -- that can be reconfigured via snap-through buckling and leverages bistability to retain its morphed shape. We show that one-dimensional arrays of such units yield beam-like structures that, upon localized snapping, can attain multiple, morphologically distinct stable shapes. Units are modeled using discrete elastic rods, a reduced-order formulation for beams and beam structures, and the results are validated via experiments. We leverage our model to understand the influence of the geometrical design parameters on the response and final shape of a unit. We then show that the morphed shapes of arrays of units can be predicted by concatenating results of simulations on single units, and leverage this idea to inverse-design structures that can be snapped into target stable shapes. Ultimately, our work suggests an up-scalable way to create shape-retaining morphing structures with target stable shapes.