Damage-tolerant material design motif derived from asymmetrical rotation

Exoskeleton-inspired concrete is strong and damage resistant

30 September 2022

Inspired by the structure of the exoskeletons of arthropods, researchers have produced a lightweight concrete material that is simultaneously strong and damage resistant.

Artificial materials tend to be either strong and easily damaged or damage resistant and weak. But nature contain many examples of materials that buck this trade-off, including the exoskeletons of insects.

Now, by using a new design motif from insect exoskeletons, a team led by researchers from The University of Queensland in Australia has produced a cement material that is both high strength and damage tolerant.

The material’s damage resistance stems from the fact that, unlike conventional concrete, failure in one segment doesn’t cause the whole structure to fail.

The same design motif can be applied to a range of other materials such as ceramics, glasses and polymers, the researchers say.

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References

1. Nature Communications 13, 1289 (2022). doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-28991-5