Flow-induced deformation of kirigami sheets

Abstract

Kirigami cutting technique turns inextensible sheets into highly stretchable devices via the opening of pores. This work investigates experimentally the deformation of such poro-elastic structures in a water flow. We show that the cut pattern allows tailoring the magnitude of sheet expansion, by providing a simple and robust way to tune mechanical properties. But importantly, stretched kirigami sheets feature a three-dimensional mesostructure that dictates the direction of local fluid forces, notably leading here to asymmetric deformation of symmetric planar sheets.