Mechanical Properties of Multistable Morphing Skin Structures with Large Deformation Capability

This paper presents a multistable morphing skin structure to achieve low in-plane stiffness, high out-of-plane stiffness, and high strain capacity. It is based on bistable preshaped curved beams, which enable large deformations through stable state transitions rather than linear elastic deformation. The in-plane mechanical properties are analyzed using large deformation beam theory and potential energy landscape approaches. The mechanical response of the theoretical model is in good agreement with both numerical and experimental results. The out-of-plane mechanical property is studied using standard three-point bending tests, which show that the hybrid array form can significantly enhance out-of-plane stiffness. The multistable morphing skin structure offers advantages in reducing actuation energy consumption and overcoming parasitic resistance in flexible structures.