Optimal design of curved folding structures in thin shells (B02)

• Subject Area: Mathematics
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 539309657

Thin sheets can be shaped with remarkable flexibility using curved folds, resulting in surprising mechanical properties and complex multiscale structures. Applications range from mechanics to architectural design. The curvature of folds plays a critical role in the transmission of deformation and loads. This project aims to develop a mechanical understanding of folds as regions of damage, simulate the resulting deformations, and create mathematical methods for the optimal design of folds and curved origami.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1720: Analysis of criticality: from complex phenomena to models and estimates
• Applicant Institution: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Sergio Conti, since 7/2025; Professor Dr. Martin Rumpf, since 7/2025