Materials scientists discover design secrets of nearly indestructible insect

Nanowerk  October 21, 2020
The ironclad beetle is one formidable insect which has an exoskeleton that is one of the toughest, most crush-resistant structures known to exist in the biological world. An international team of researchers (USA – UC Riverside, Purdue University, UT San Antonio, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, UC Irvine, Japan) used advanced microscopy, spectroscopy and in situ mechanical testing, and identified multiscale architectural designs within the exoskeleton of the beetle, and examined the resulting mechanical response and toughening mechanisms. They highlighted a series of interdigitated sutures, the ellipsoidal geometry and laminated microstructure which provide mechanical interlocking and toughening at critical strains, while avoiding catastrophic failure. These observations could be applied in developing tough, impact- and crush-resistant materials for joining dissimilar materials. They created interlocking sutures from biomimetic composites that show a considerable increase in toughness compared with a frequently used engineering joint…read more. Video  TECHNICAL ARTICLE

A cross section of the medial suture, where two halves of the diabolical ironclad beetle’s elytra meet.. Credit: Jesus Rivera / UCI

 

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