Experimental mechanics / UIUC · AE 498 / 2026

Thin Origami Bellows

I designed and tested a paper bellows; the test showed why its attachments needed as much attention as its folds.

My contribution: CAD, fabrication, testing
Tools & methods: NX crease-pattern design, paper fabrication, tensile testing, data analysis
Evidence: One specimen · One tensile test

Overview

Pulling a folded structure open.

I designed a paper bellows to study how a folded structure opens under tension. I created the crease pattern in NX, made the specimen, and tested it using printed fixtures.

The single trial reached 48.1 N before tearing near an attachment. That result describes this specimen and test setup, rather than a repeatable strength rating.

The test made the load transfer into the paper a clear issue for further work. Better attachments and repeat tests would be needed to separate the bellows’ opening behavior from the limits of the setup.

Making the bellows

I drew the crease pattern in NX, then scored and folded the paper into a bellows. Printed fixtures connected its ends to the tensile frame. I carried out the CAD, fabrication, testing, and analysis, with fixture guidance from the Space Structures Lab.

NX drawing showing the thin-origami bellows crease pattern — **The crease pattern**
The NX drawing used to score and fold the paper bellows.
Project report, PDF page 5.

Folded paper bellows connected to printed test fixtures. — **Connecting the bellows to the fixtures**
The folded paper specimen mounted between its printed end fixtures.
Project report, PDF page 6.

Reading the force and the damage together

The trial recorded a peak of 48.1 N and tearing near an attachment. The record began with preload and covered limited movement, so it did not capture a complete opening cycle. I considered the measured force alongside where the paper tore, rather than treating the peak as an intrinsic property of the folding pattern.

The useful next step was to improve the attachments and repeat the test. Those changes were identified from the trial; they were not completed within this project.

Paper bellows and printed fixtures in an Instron tensile frame — **The tensile test**
Printed fixtures connect the paper bellows to the test frame. Tearing occurred near an attachment.
Project report, PDF page 7.

Force versus movement graph for the paper-bellows tensile trial. — **The single test record**
The recorded force peaks at 48.1 N. Preload and limited movement mean this is not a complete opening-cycle measurement.
Project report, PDF page 9.

I performed CAD, fabrication, testing, and analysis. The report acknowledges fixture guidance from the Space Structures Lab.

Go deeper / Full technical report