Researchers at Melbourne RMIT University have enhanced the strength of 3D printed concrete using the shell patterning of lobsters as inspiration.
Lobster
Lobster x-ray. Image: Florian Elias Rieser, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license
The researchers said that the use of a twisting pattern, like the internal structure of a lobster shell, combined with a special steel fibre-enhanced concrete mix resulted in 3D printed structures that were stronger, more efficient and more sustainable than concrete made using traditional methods.
Dr Jonathan Tran, who led the project, said: “We know that natural materials like lobster exoskeletons have evolved into high-performance structures over millions of years, so by mimicking their key advantages we can follow where nature has already innovated.
“As lobster shells are naturally strong and naturally curved, we know this could help us deliver stronger concrete shapes like arches and flowing or twisted structures.
“This work is in early stages so we need further research to test how the concrete performs on a wider range of parameters but our initial experimental results show we are on the right track,” he added.
Similar research projects looking into 3D printing inspired by nature has been ongoing for some years. However, the work done at RMIT is likely to be of particular interest to construction firms looking for affordable and sustainable materials for use in large-scale concrete structures that are strong enough for civil engineering projects.
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