Abstract：To enhance the energy absorption performance of lightweight thin-walled tubular structures, a lightweight lattice structure was introduced into the end-folded origami tube, resulting in a novel high-energy-absorption composite configuration. Quasi-static axial compression tests and finite element analysis of the composite tube revealed that, during deformation, the outer origami tube guided the deformation of the internal lattice structure. Compared to a standalone end-folded origami tube, the incorporation of the internal lattice structure increased the average load-bearing capacity by 14.77%. Furthermore, a parametric study was conducted to investigate the influence of key design factors—including the thickness ratio between the lattice and the tube, the number of longitudinal lattice cells, and the width ratio of the lattice configuration—on the energy absorption performance of the composite tube. The results demonstrated that variations in these parameters significantly affected the composite tube’s stiffness, leading to multiple deformation modes, including symmetric deformation, diamond deformation, extensional deformation, and mixed deformation, which in turn caused substantial differences in energy absorption performance. Notably, adjusting the internal lattice thickness and width ratio increased the average load-bearing capacity by up to 30.75%. Finally, a theoretical prediction of the composite tube’s average load was performed using the super-folded element method, yielding an error of only 12.1% compared to experimental results. In summary, the proposed lattice-reinforced end-folded origami composite tube not only features simplified manufacturing but also exhibits excellent energy absorption characteristics. Its innovative structural design provides valuable theoretical guidance and engineering insights for the structural optimization and performance enhancement of similar composite tubes.
2025, Vol. 46 
