Can the Miura-Ori Fold be Used for Better and Stronger Pipes?

CWSF 2026 - Khian Mau, Grade 7, Aubrey Elementary, Burnaby, BC

The research rationale for this project is based on an event in 2007, where a pipeline burst in front of my house. The incident killed all of the wildlife and plants around the pipe, including my front yard that withered away. I wanted to find out if the Miura-Ori fold pattern can help make pipes stronger and safer. I was inspired after I read about Miles Wu, a 14-year old science fair student, testing the strength of the Miura-Ori origami pattern. After I read and researched more about this pattern, I learned that it is currently used in satellites to help solar panels deploy easily. This made me think about how this pattern might help make oil pipelines be stronger. Pipes carrying harmful chemicals can burst and cause significant environmental damage. My hypotheses are 1. about structure: A Miura-Ori cylinder shape will be able to handle more internal pressure when compared to control and will be less likely to burst; and 2. about material: A Miura-Ori pattern cylinder made with construction paper is stronger than one with copy paper.  I believe pipes made with this origami pattern may reduce structural damage if a break occurs, thereby keeping the break and subsequent impact from the spill more contained. Additionally, I hope oil companies and businesses who make pipelines can takeaway from my project a technique for making pipes more resilient to breaking.

First, control cylinders (1-, 2-, and 3- paper layers) were made using copy paper (20lbs) and construction paper (58lbs). For the 1-layer control, one sheet of paper was rolled into a cylinder and glued along the short side with about 2 cm of overlap. It was left to dry for 24 hours. For the 2-and 3-layer controls, two and three sheets were glued together first, respectively, then rolled and dried in the same way.

Next, the Miura-Ori cylinders, which served as the independent variable, were created. Miura-Ori sheets were made using the Cricut app, Cricut Explore Air 2, a Nicapa mat, construction paper, and copy paper. The fold pattern was designed on the computer and scored using the Cricut machine. After that, the paper was folded by hand like an accordion along the long side, then folded again to make zig-zag lines until the full Miura-Ori pattern was formed (Figure 2A). Figure 2B is a video on folding the Miura-Ori pattern.

For Miura-Ori test cylinders, four folded Miura-Ori sheets were glued together at the raised and lowered pattern parts and left to dry overnight held tightly with rubber bands. After drying, the sheet was rolled inward and glued into a cylinder shape. Glue is applied to the outside of the Miura-Ori cylinder and rolled with one sheet of paper to make a flat–Miura-Ori–flat sandwich cylinder (Figure 2C).

For testing, an upside-down coffee table, textbooks, shipping foam, balloons, a digital air pump, a grip mat, and plastic lids were used to hold the cylinders in place (Figure 2D). Each type of paper, cylinders and controls were tested 6 times (48 tests total). The pump records the PSI when the tubes fail, and structural damage was assessed visually on percent destroyed. The data and statistics were analyzed in Excel.

The main results according to my hypothesis I found in my data was that the Miura-Ori can hold about the same amount of psi (pressure per square inch) for both copy paper and construction paper (Hypothesis 2, Material Strength). The controls, when compared to the Miura-Ori also held about the same amount of psi (Hypothesis 1, Structural Strength). In other words, there was no difference between the total psi that the control and the independent variable can withstand.

My project gave a surprising result. Although the outer layer bursts in both the control and the Miura-Ori pipe, the Miura-Ori had an extra layer of protection upon bursting (see first photo, pink cylinders). That is, the Miura-Ori cylinders showed less overall structural damage. My prototype mostly works because the Miura-Ori pipe test can hold the same amount of psi compared to the control pipes. The Miura-Ori pattern layer expands when the outer layer blows up, decreasing the spillage from the pipe compared to the control. There will still always be cracks when the pepe bursts but the total spillage will be decreased.

The statistical analysis used 90% confidence intervals to evaluate differences between the Miura-Ori pipes and control pipes. These intervals were used to determine whether there was a statistically significant difference in performance, specifically 1) which type of pipe had a higher average failure pressure (psi), and 2) which type experienced less structural damage upon bursting. In my results, the confidence intervals for failure pressure overlapped between the Miura-Ori and control pipes, indicating no statistically significant difference in strength. However, for structural damage, the intervals showed clearer separation, suggesting a meaningful difference in how the pipes failed.

The results showed that the Miura-Ori cylinders could handle a lot of pressure because it did better than 1-layer control. For construction paper, the Miura-Ori cylinders were similar in strength to the 2-layer and 3-layer control tubes. However, for copy paper, the Miura-Ori cylinders could handle less pressure than the construction paper ones. The results also showed that all of the Miura-Ori cylinders made from both copy paper and construction paper kept their cylinder shape. The control cylinders did not keep their shape, and some of them burst, tore apart, and were completely destroyed. This data shows that in the pipeline industry, when pressurized pipes explode, they can be hard to clean up, usually causing a lot of spillage and waste and are often fully destroyed. But if those pipes had Miura-Ori fold patterns, the spill may be easier to clean up and the pipe could even possibly be fixed because of the decreased amount of total damage.

In the end, my second hypothesis shows that the Miura-Ori pattern cylinder made with construction paper is about the same as that made with copy paper. If I did this experiment again, I would do more tests using different materials and different shapes. From this experiment, I learned what Miura-Ori is, what shapes it can be used in, and how strong it is. I also learned where and how it is used. I learned about Miles Wu and Kōryō Miura too.

In the future, Miura-Ori folds with different heights and different sizes of peaks and valleys could be tested to see which design works best. The testing structure and setup could also be improved so that the results are more accurate and consistent. For example, using higher quality balloons or a pipe plug balloon. Pipe plug balloons are used to test the strength of metal pipes in the pipe industry. Other materials, such as aluminum and different types of materials, could also be tested to find out if the pattern works well in stronger pipes.

I personally want to thank these people that helped me make this project come to life and those people are my family, the Science Fair Foundation BC Team and my teacher, Mr. lappierre. My family helped me with how to operate Canva, helped me with some mistakes in this poster and helped me with making the score and cut lines in the Miura Ori. The next huge thank you I want to give to is the Science Fair Foundation BC Team for contributing $200 in to this project. A huge thank you to my family and the Science Fair Foundation BC Team. I also want to thank my teacher, Mr. Lapierre, for giving me feedback on my report booklet and supporting me with giving me this great opportunity to participate in doing science fair.

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