Kirigami Patterned Materials for Flow Control

We present experimental work on fluid flow through kirigami patterned meta-materials with a focus on the effect of the material on the downstream flow. Previous work has shown that various categories of kirigami patterns create a variety of static and dynamic behaviors, from smooth and steady large-scale elongations, to buckling and oscillatory instabilities. These complex and nonlinear structural responses result in significantly varied patterns in the downstream fluid flow, including vortex shedding at multiple scales and the formation of jets that redirect the incoming flow. This presentation will examine strategies to create desired outflow conditions using one or more kirigami sheets to manipulate the flow. A kirigami based flow control system could offer significant decreases in weight, size, and complexity when compared to conventional flow control systems, and due to its nonlinear behavior, could allow for passive flow control strategies.