Biomechanics and Functional Morphology of Plants—Inspiration for Biomimetic Materials and Structures

Speck, Thomas; Bold, Georg; Masselter, Tom; Poppinga, Simon; Schmier, Stefanie; Thielen, Marc; Speck, Olga

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-79099-2_18

Cited by 17 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 91 publications

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“…petals, leaves) represent efficient and functionally robust compliant mechanisms [1]. They perform aesthetic shape-changes without nerves, muscles and discrete hinges and are increasingly recognized as suitable concept generators for the development of biomimetic shape-changing structures [2][3][4][5]. Four-dimensional (4D) printing of such devices has become an emerging field [6][7][8][9][10], but the movement patterns of the bioinspired structures realized so far are limited in terms of temporal and spatial versatility and programmability.…”

Section: Introduction (A) Motivationmentioning

confidence: 99%

4D pine scale: biomimetic 4D printed autonomous scale and flap structures capable of multi-phase movement

Correa

Poppinga

Mylo

et al. 2020

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

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We developed biomimetic hygro-responsive composite polymer scales inspired by the reversible shape-changes of Bhutan pine ( Pinus wallichiana ) cone seed scales. The synthetic kinematic response is made possible through novel four-dimensional (4D) printing techniques with anisotropic material use, namely copolymers with embedded cellulose fibrils and ABS polymer. Multi-phase motion like the subsequent transversal and longitudinal bending deformation during desiccation of a natural pinecone scale can be structurally programmed into such printed hygromorphs. Both the natural concept generator (Bhutan pinecone scale) and the biomimetic technical structure (4D printed scale) were comparatively investigated as to their displacement and strain over time via three-dimensional digital image correlation methods. Our bioinspired prototypes can be the basis for tailored autonomous and self-sufficient flap and scale structures performing complex consecutive motions for technical applications, e.g. in architecture and soft robotics. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Bioinspired materials and surfaces for green science and technology (part 3)’.

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Section: Introduction (A) Motivationmentioning

confidence: 99%

4D pine scale: biomimetic 4D printed autonomous scale and flap structures capable of multi-phase movement

Correa

Poppinga

Mylo

et al. 2020

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

Self Cite

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“…The research on reed grass and stems ties into different aspects of vulnerability in the built environment (Table 1) and can help to generate a variety of new concepts for the design of buildings, elements, and materials with greater resilience. Speck et al (2018) have also demonstrated the biomimetic transfer of those research findings to innovative products, especially lightweight composite materials and graded structural designs (Speck et al 2018).…”

Section: Reed Grassmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…] many research groups focus specifically on growth of material structures and agency (Imhof et al 2015;Gruber and Rupp 2018). The realm of plants is exceptionally attractive and inspirational for architecture and civil structures, as plants share certain common aspects with buildings (Gruber 2009;Speck et al 2018). Similar to buildings, plants are exposed to their environment, usually without the option of behavioral response to changing adverse conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wind-resilient civil structures: What can we learn from nature

Zhang

Gruber

2020

Botany

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Owing to changing weather patterns, catastrophic natural disasters are expected to happen more frequently and cause dramatic life and economic losses worldwide. The United States experienced a historically high record of weather disasters in 2017, with the economic losses exceeding 300 billion dollars. A major contributor to economic loss and threat to public safety is damage, destruction, and failure of civil structures in the strong-wind dominated disasters. There is a pressing need for reconstruction and redesign of critical civil structures to better cope with high winds to mitigate the loss of lives and properties. This paper takes a biomimetic perspective to link problem areas with potential solutions for future bio-inspired technology development, by identifying the most vulnerable aspects of civil structures in strong winds on one side and wind-resilient examples of biological systems on the other side. Of particular interest are plants that thrive in high winds, as they have likely adapted to manage the harsh environment under pressure of natural selection. Specific biological examples include the Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantean Britton & Rose), reed grass, and shape reconfiguration of leaves. A review of problem areas, abstracted principles, and exemplary biological role models shall inform and guide towards new designs of wind-resilient civil structures.

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“…The diversity of strategies and structures for mechanical stabilisation that can be found in tree stems are an attractive resource for building constructions and the analysis of the stability of trees, or of other plant growth forms, is in fact a good example how both engineering sciences and functional anatomy/morphology benefitted in a mutual way from interdisciplinary cooperation. For example, new concepts for fibre-reinforced composites which include branched structures are developed inspired by fibre support systems of plants (Speck et al 2018).…”

Section: The Tree-a Multifunctional Affairmentioning

confidence: 99%

From tree to architecture: how functional morphology of arborescence connects plant biology, evolution and physics

Roth‐Nebelsick

Miranda

Ebner

et al. 2021

Palaeobio Palaeoenv

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Trees are the fundamental element of forest ecosystems, made possible by their mechanical qualities and their highly sophisticated conductive tissues. The evolution of trees, and thereby the evolution of forests, were ecologically transformative and affected climate and biogeochemical cycles fundamentally. Trees also offer a substantial amount of ecological niches for other organisms, such as epiphytes, creating a vast amount of habitats. During land plant evolution, a variety of different tree constructions evolved and their constructional principles are a subject of ongoing research. Understanding the “natural construction” of trees benefits strongly from methods and approaches from physics and engineering. Plant water transport is a good example for the ongoing demand for interdisciplinary efforts to unravel form-function relationships on vastly differing scales. Identification of the unique mechanism of water long-distance transport requires a solid basis of interfacial physics and thermodynamics. Studying tree functions by using theoretical approaches is, however, not a one-sided affair: The complex interrelationships between traits, functionality, trade-offs and phylogeny inspire engineers, physicists and architects until today.

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Biomechanics and Functional Morphology of Plants—Inspiration for Biomimetic Materials and Structures

Cited by 17 publications

References 91 publications

4D pine scale: biomimetic 4D printed autonomous scale and flap structures capable of multi-phase movement

4D pine scale: biomimetic 4D printed autonomous scale and flap structures capable of multi-phase movement

Wind-resilient civil structures: What can we learn from nature

From tree to architecture: how functional morphology of arborescence connects plant biology, evolution and physics

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