Finite Element Modeling of Rigid-Flex Printed-Circuit-Board Origami Robotics Subjected to Large-Scale Deformations

Rigid-flex printed circuit board (PCB) robotics have been investigated for exploring planetary terrain currently inaccessible to traditional aluminum body rovers. To push the technology to flight readiness, there must be rigorous methodologies for modeling these structures. This paper presents a modeling methodology for rigid-flex PCB robots subjected to large deformations, failure criteria for each component of the robot (PCB, Nomex hinges, flex cable), validation with drop testing of the rigid-flex PCB robot Pop-Up Flat Folding Explorer Robot (PUFFER), and an application of the method to assess survivability under lunar impact scenarios. A numerically stable and computationally efficient model of rigid-flex PCB robotics was permitted by using a combination of pre-existing element types and a hyperelastic material model for the flexible hinges.