Abstract
A new kind of bio-inspired, lightweight structure was designed and built from carbon fibre prepreg based on the cross-sectional microstructure of a beetle’s elytra. The compression strength and failure process of the resulting structure was analysed using the finite element method; while at the same time, a quasi-static compression experiment was performed using an electronic universal testing machine to verify the effectiveness and accuracy of this finite element method. This bio-inspired structure was compared against a conventional honeycomb structure using FEM, revealing that for a given porosity and load parallel to the axis of the core tubes the respective compressive and specific compressive strengths of the bio-inspired structure are much higher at 84.3 MPa and 194.7 MPa/(g cm−3); thus demonstrating that this bio-inspired structure has superior compressive capability.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (2011CB302106), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51175249, 51105201), the Aero-Science Foundation of China (2013ZF52072), and the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education (20123218110010).
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Guo, C., Li, D., Lu, Z. et al. Mechanical properties of a novel, lightweight structure inspired by beetle’s elytra. Chin. Sci. Bull. 59, 3341–3347 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-014-0384-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-014-0384-5