Impact Performance of a Plate Structure with Coconut-Inspired Microchannels

Applied Sciences

Mark Flores¹  Andrew Sharits²  Jie Shen³ 

[1] Information Science, University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn, MI 48128, USA;Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Fairborn, OH 45433, USA;;Department of Computer &

关键词: composites;    coconut;    impact performance;    crashworthiness;    biomimetics;    industrial applications;   

DOI  :  10.3390/app10010355

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Very few studies have been conducted in the past to reveal the underlying mechanism that causes the high-impact performance of coconuts as a natural composite material and a structure. The goal of this study is to understand the dominant microstructures of coconuts with respect to mechanical impact. In this study, we use a high-resolution X-ray computed tomography (CT) machine in scanning the microstructures and analyzing the patterns of microchannels in coconut shells. By using the established patterns, we model a novel plate structure with coconut-inspired microchannels. Numerical simulation elucidates a significant improvement in crashworthiness. The microchannel design opens a path to further developing self-healing composites and intelligent composites with sensing elements embedded in the channels.

【 授权许可】

Unknown