Designing 2D and 3D Kirigami Metamaterials With Effective Continuum Modeling

Kirigami metamaterials, created by cutting and folding elastic sheets, are increasingly used in complex devices for applications such as soft robotics and aerospace engineering. Their multiscale nature presents design challenges that make traditional iterative methods inefficient. To address this, we develop a theoretical framework using effective continuum modeling for both 2D and 3D kirigami metamaterials. This approach calculates elastic energy with penalties for incompatible deformations. We validate our models experimentally by fabricating various metamaterial samples and provide practical guidelines for scaling laws. Additionally, we implement a finite element formulation in Abaqus, enabling efficient simulation under complex loading conditions. Our work effectively links unit cell mechanics with macroscopic properties, offering new insights into nonlinear and 3D deformations.