Hybrid-optimized ant-nest origami for high-performance foam-filled energy absorbing sandwich structures under quasi-static and impact loading

Abstract Protective energy-absorbing components must reconcile lightweight design, high dissipation capacity, and reliable performance under diverse loading conditions. This study presents a novel origami unit, whose manufacturability was verified via kinematic analysis and whose baseline quasi-static axial compression performance exceeds that of two benchmark origami geometries by up to 52% in total energy absorption ( E abs ) and 62% in specific energy absorption ( SEA ). A hybrid optimization framework integrating XGBoost machine learning surrogate modeling and NSGA-II multi-objective algorithms efficiently identified Pareto-optimal geometric parameters, achieving more than 97% prediction accuracy for key performance metrics. Embedding aluminum-foam-filled into the optimized origami cores produced a sandwich panel whose energy absorption ( E abs ), specific energy absorption ( SEA ), and crush force efficiency ( CFE) surged by approximately 619%, 101%, and 349%, respectively, compared to the unfilled structure. Finite-element simulations accurately capture deformation stages and confirm that foam filling yields more uniform hinge formation and markedly enhanced stability. The findings provide a novel design concept and methodology for advanced protective sandwich structures in both civilian and military applications.