Chapter 16

Analysis of Bio-Inspired Designs

for Energy Absorption Applications

Ramakrishna Doodi, Bala Murali Gunji, and Ganesh Chouhan

Abstract Designs inspired by nature for energy absorption applications are now
trending research in the engineering field, where various biomimetic designs are
readymade and available from nature. Nowadays, high strength to low-weight compo-
nents is the major law consideration for many design processes. Bio-inspired lattice
structures are perfect for satisfying this condition to possess excellent mechanical
properties at minimum available weight with high strength to low-weight criteria due
to its unit lattice cell factors. In this paper, detailed criteria to select a suitable unit
cell size among two types of lattice structures which are bio-inspired from centriole
and honeycomb structures of three different unit cells of the wall thickness of 1.4,
1.6, and 1.8 mm are designed using Autodesk Fusion 360 a 3D design software, and
the designs are analyzed in Ansys R21 software and fabricated via stereolithography
(SLA) an additive manufacturing process. Finally, the results of the numerical anal-
ysis and values of the compression test are analyzed. Finally, the best structure for
the application of energy absorption is validated through the results.

16.1 Introduction

The need for lightweight and protective structures has become critical from a better
safety point of view. Crashworthiness is a crucial aspect of safety protection in
all scenarios where considerable amounts of impact energy must be absorbed.
Researchers are looking for innovative lattice structures with unique geometric
configurations to exhibit excellent energy absorption capabilities. Honeycomb’s
energy absorption is mostly based on thin-walled cells. To enhance energy absorp-
tion, it may be beneficial to increase the energy absorption capacity of each cell. As
a result, the structure filling arose in retaliation to the right circumstances.
Furthermore, in a computer-aided environment, the cellular design may be easily
adjusted, allowing for design freedom which is not possible with the traditional

R. Doodi · B. M. Gunji (B) · G. Chouhan

Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore 632014, India
e-mail: balamurali.g@vit.ac.in

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023 179
A. Chakrabarti and V. Singh (eds.), Design in the Era of Industry 4.0, Volume 2,
Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies 342,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-0264-4_16
180 R. Doodi et al.

manufacturing process. This framework can be customized to fit individual applica-

tions and setups. The present work will surely state the approach to designing novel
bio-inspired lattice structures, which nature may inspire to replace current and future
lattice structures for lightweight and high-energy absorption applications.

16.1.1 Bio-Inspired Design

The terms ‘bio-inspired structures’ were used interchangeably to describe the tran-
sition of knowledge of biology from ecology to the development of technologies
and best practices. Researchers have created various bio-inspired design techniques
by considering several sectors based on biomimicry, and there has been an enor-
mous growth in research and applications over the previous two decades. In addi-
tion, bio-inspired design research and applications in various fields have been a
massive increase. It has been used in multiple areas, including mathematics (e.g.,
modeling swarm intelligence and genetic algorithms), engineering (e.g., robots,
cars, and trains), material technology, medicine, architecture, and arts. If it is
possible to systematically transfer biological information to technology, the bio-
inspiration process will be aided. Nagel et al. [1] established the concept of gener-
ating approaches to allow biologically inspired technological solutions to be system-
atically conceptualized. That is both problem-driven and solution-driven. According
to Rowland [2], most researchers have documented these techniques utilizing active
projects related to bio-inspired designs. To support the entire process, bio-inspired
design with a problem-driven method has been presented, and all bio-inspired
design methods require technologies that demand extensive training, while others
are straightforward.

16.1.2 Lattice Cell Structure

A lattice system is a collection of lattices that share a standard set of lattice point
groups: arithmetic crystal class subgroups. The 14 Bravais lattice systems include
triclinic, monoclinic, orthorhombic, tetragonal, rhombohedral, hexagonal, and cubic
lattices. Lattice structures are topologically ordered three-dimensional open-celled
structures with one or more repetitive unit cells. The proportions and linkages of
the constituent strut parts joined at specified nodes are used to distinguish these
cells. The lattice density and fabric combination are used to predict anisotropic
mechanical properties. A lattice cell is a mathematical structure studied from the
domains of order theory and abstract algebra. Based on the number of struts and nodes
in their internal configurations, lattice structures containing strut-like elements can be
classified as stretching-dominated or bending-dominated structures using Maxwell’s
stability criterion. Lattice structures may be considered structures in terms of traits
and qualities when studied at the cellular level. Still, when viewed at the overall
16 Analysis of Bio-Inspired Designs for Energy Absorption Applications 181

Fig. 16.1 a Structure and function of centriole/basal body [10]. b Microtubule patterns of nodal,
motile, and non-motile cilia structure—a schematic representation [11]

structural level, they behave like homogenized meta-materials [3]. Lattice structural
characteristics such as geometry and cell topology can be tuned dramatically to alter
the physical reply of these structures, allowing them to demonstrate capabilities not
possible with their parent materials [4] and mechanical properties [5].

16.1.3 Centriole Structure

Many eukaryotes have centrioles, which are cylinders made up of nine microtubules
(MT) triplets arranged in a nine-fold symmetrical configuration as shown in see
Fig. 16.1a. This protein is required for the production of numerous microtubule-
patterned proteins. Cilia and centrosomes are examples of structures (see Fig. 16.1)
[6, 7]. Each centrosome has a nucleus at its center, in which centrosome properties
are defined by two centrioles. In a large number of protists, these structures may
emit MTs and coordinate the location and orientation of the basal body with other
cellular components, which are required for the coordination of cilia movement and
the complex cytoskeleton’s architecture [8, 9]. The MTs of centrioles/basal bodies
are resistant to cold, depolymerizing medicines, and detergents. Cilia can be found in
cells in almost all of the body’s organ systems. Cilia have generally been categorized
as either motile or primary (non-motile) cilia, depending on their ability to move, as
shown in Fig. 16.1b.

16.1.4 Honeycomb Structure

With their excellent energy absorption capacity and the low weight-to-cost ratio [12],
honeycomb frameworks have been used in various industries for decades. Bending
[13], load-carrying capabilities [14], and energy absorption capabilities [15, 16] have
been studied extensively. Because of its advantages of being lightweight and having
182 R. Doodi et al.

Fig. 16.2 Design model of

honeycomb unit cell (c =
distance between opposite
sides, t = wall thickness)
[17]

exceptional fatigue resistance, the honeycomb lattice construction has proven to be

a tremendous breakthrough in the composites industry. It comprises a grid of open
cells with hexagons or other cell shapes. This structure is widely employed in various
applications, including energy absorption and light diffusion in aircraft, vehicles,
and building construction. A sample design process parameter for the honeycomb is
shown in see Fig. 16.2.

16.2 Design of Bio-Inspired Lattice Structure

In this paper, designs are made in Autodesk Fusion 360, a 3D Design software.
While designing, both centriole and honeycomb structures having a maximum size
of 40 × 40 mm with the unit cell outer diameter are kept constant at 3 mm, where
wall thickness is changed by varying inner unit cell diameter. All designs are saved
as STEP format files for numerical simulation analysis. Centriole and honeycomb
structures with defined unit cells were prepared, as shown in Fig. 16.3.
Where t = wall thickness of unit cell of centriole and honeycomb lattice structure,
d = maximum diameter of the unit cell

t = 1.4 (min)
t = 1.8 (max)

Fig. 16.3 Preparation of CAD part of a centriole structure, and b honeycomb structure
16 Analysis of Bio-Inspired Designs for Energy Absorption Applications 183

where ‘t’ increments equal 0.2 mm in the equal interval. So, the total centriole and
honeycomb designs based on the thickness variable parameter are 3. From a simple
perspective, each specimen has been named centriole-A, centriole-B, and centriole-
C, where A is 1.4 mm, B is 1.6 mm, and C is 1.8 mm. The same type of indication
is given for the honeycomb specimens also.

16.3 Results and Discussion

16.3.1 Specimens Subjected to FEA Simulation

Design specimens were tested for numerical analysis in the Ansys software 22 R1
version. Here, static analysis of the designed specimens was done with input load
values obtained from the compression test values. The simulation test was done by
applying a fixed boundary condition, and compression force was applied on the top
surface. Maximum principal stresses and safe von-mises stress results are observed
when they meet the yield stress of the material, as shown in Fig. 16.4.

Fig. 16.4 Static analysis results show between centriole and honeycomb structures with different
wall thicknesses
184 R. Doodi et al.

16.3.2 Fabrication of Specimens Using 3D Printing

Using stereolithography (SLA), an additive manufacturing technique used to manu-

facture complicated designs, 3D printed specimens of centriole and honeycomb are
produced utilizing a CREALITY LH-002R printer as shown in Fig. 16.6, where
polylactic acid (PLA) material is used as a resin for SLA process. The printing time
for each specimen is an average of 3 to 4 h. Then, after the print was over, 3D printed
specimens were adequately cleaned using a solution containing ethyl alcohol (80%)
liquid and cured using a UV light source for almost two hours. The specifications of
the used 3D printer and the material properties of the PLA are shown in Fig. 16.5.

Fig. 16.5 a Creality LH-002R SLA 3D printer. b 3D printed centriole specimen. c Details of SLA
3D printer and resin properties

Fig. 16.6 Compression test on 3D printed specimens of centriole and honeycomb

16 Analysis of Bio-Inspired Designs for Energy Absorption Applications 185

Fig. 16.7 a Load versus compressive strains. b Comparison of experimental and simulation results

16.3.3 Mechanical Testing

3D printed test specimens undergo a compression test carried out as per the ASTM
standard D1621 (compression test on cellular plastics) using INSTRON 8801type
universal testing machine as shown in the Fig. 16.6, at room temperature. The soft-
ware Instron blue hill-3 automatically captured data. To minimize any planarity
errors, each specimen was mildly pre-stressed. The specimen was subjected to
a constant compression displacement rate of 2.5 mm/min. Since the specimens’
compressive strength was unknown, tests were governed by extension, and the load
was measured. Failure of the specimens was considered when it reached up to
10% deformation in size (as per ASTM standard). A graph was plotted between
the behavior of all specimens in the compression test is shown in Fig. 16.7.
By observing the graph shown in the Fig. 16.7a, results are shown very clearly
that all specimens take almost the same load. But in-depth, it is clear that honeycomb
(HC)-C took more load than all other specimens but failed to bear the load. However,
it was observed that centriole structure-C has taken less load value than HC- C but
showed a better constituency than HC. Similarly, the same criteria of failure are
observed in other specimens. The interesting observation in this experiment, all
HC structures initially take more load during compression. In contrast, centriole
structures are taken load gradually for more time than the honeycomb structures
under the same conditions.
The reason behind this behavior is the difference in the bio-inspired structures,
whereas a honeycomb has better structural capacity due to its hexagonal cross-
section. In the experimental testing, centriole structures were shown to have a better
load-bearing time than HC concerning the compressive strain. Another observation
was noted that the behavior of centriole-B and HC-B are the same and take almost
the same peak compressive load. Finally, it was clear that all centriole and HC struc-
tures performed well, and the centriole structure would be a better replacement for the
honeycomb. The graph representing the variation of results obtained from both simu-
lation and experimental results is shown in Fig. 16.7b. It was observed simulation,
and experimental results hold suitable for all the specimens with minor variations in
the generated stress values. However, both values are shown good convergence for
the centriole-C, HC-A, and HC-C.
186 R. Doodi et al.

16.4 Conclusion

The results obtained from both experimentation and simulation were investigated
and it was found that the centriole and honeycomb structures at 1.8mm unit cell
wall thickness performed well. Among the centriole and honeycomb, the centriole
performed better due to its multi-tube configuration with a given wall thickness
imparting a better weight-to-strength ratio. However, in the case of 1.6 mm wall
thickness, centriole structure performance is equal to the honeycomb. Finally, it was
clear that at 1.8 and 1.6 mm wall thickness centriole, a bio-inspired structure is a
better replacement for a honeycomb structure, especially at 1.6 mm thickness, due to
its small rigid configuration of 40 × 40 size. Here, the design and analysis of the bio-
inspired structures of centriole and honeycomb are limited to 1.4, 1.6, and 1.8 mm
because more variation in wall thickness will increase the weight of the component,
so the main focus of the paper is low-weight high strength structures where this
unit cells will assemble in required pattern as per need of unique energy-absorbing
structures.

Future Scope Need for more novel bio-inspired lattice structures in the field of low-weight high-
energy absorption criteria, and more number lattice structures will need to design with various
parameters. In this paper, specimens are tested for simulation and compression tests only, there is
a need to conduct impact and fatigue tests in future, and test results are to be evaluated to obtain
accuracy to field-level scale and real-time structural applications in the automotive and aerospace
fields.

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