Author(s)

Z. You & S. Pellegrino

Abstract

A new, general type of two-dimensional foldable structures is presented, which extends and generalises the standard trellis-type foldable structure consisting of two sets of parallel straight rods connected by hinges. It is shown that any structure consisting of rigid, multi-angulated rods, i.e. straight rods with kinks at the hinge positions, can be folded if the rods form a tessellation of parallelograms. This discovery is exploited to investigate the structural layouts of flat and curved roof structures which can be folded along their perimeter. 1 Introduction A simple, two-dimensional foldable structure can be made from two sets of parallel, straight rods connected by pivots, or scissor hinges, at all intersection points. A scissor hinge is a revolute joint whose axis is perpendicular to the plane of the structure. Both structures show

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