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A Protocol for Bioinspired Design: A Ground Sampler Based on Sea Urchin Jaws
Published on: April 24, 2016
Topology-Orchestrated Multi-physical Energy Control in Turtle Shell-Inspired Metamaterials
Xi Wang1, Shiyi Wang1, Bingzhi Chen1
1Key Laboratory of Railway Industry on Safety Service Key Technologies for High-speed Train, Zhan Tianyou Honors College, Dalian Jiaotong University, Dalian, China.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|July 16, 2026
Summary
This study introduces a bio-inspired metamaterial mimicking turtle shells, offering simultaneous mechanical, acoustic, and thermal functions. This novel lattice structure achieves high energy absorption and sound attenuation, even under significant deformation.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Metamaterials Design
- Bio-inspired Engineering
Background:
- Designing multifunctional metamaterials with simultaneous mechanical, acoustic, and thermal properties presents a significant challenge.
- Existing architected materials often struggle to integrate these diverse functionalities effectively within a single framework.
- Hierarchical structures offer potential for tailored multi-domain performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a bio-inspired multifunctional lattice metamaterial (BMLM) with integrated mechanical, acoustic, and thermal functionalities.
- To overcome the limitations of current architected materials by employing a topology-driven design strategy.
- To demonstrate the superior performance of the BMLM through experimental validation.
Main Methods:
- Bioinspired design mimicking turtle shell structures.
- Hierarchical framework integrating arcuate plate-strut geometries and engineered microporosity.
- Topology-driven hybrid-coupling of dissipation and transport pathways.
- Experimental validation of mechanical, acoustic, and thermal properties.
Main Results:
- Achieved specific compressive energy absorption of 55.7 kJ/kg.
- Demonstrated broadband acoustic performance with an average sound absorption coefficient of 0.954.
- Maintained near-unity sound absorption (>0.9) from 2150 to 4250 Hz, resilient to 40% compressive strain.
- Exhibited efficient convective thermal dissipation due to high surface-area-to-volume ratio.
Conclusions:
- The turtle shell bioinspired multifunctional lattice metamaterial (BMLM) successfully integrates mechanical, acoustic, and thermal functionalities.
- Topology-driven design enables coordinated energy absorption, acoustic attenuation, and thermal transport.
- The BMLM offers a robust and deformation-resilient solution for advanced material applications.
