3D Printed Bioinspired Honeycomb Structures For Lightweight Structures

Honeycomb structures are one of the strongest structural objects in correlation to the amount of material used. Companies that focus on innovation, efficiency, space exploration, and motorsport industry have started to implement this design. To be able to study the correlation between these two properties the software Creo was used to model many honeycomb patterns and structures. The designs consisted of different wall thicknesses, braces around the edge of the structure, or even having a plate at the top or bottom for support. These structures were then uploaded into a software called ANSYS. The program is able to apply forces, strains, stresses, and many more. Structural steel was the material used in ANSYS. The correlation between strength and weight was seen when a bioinspired structure that started off with really thick walls of about 85 percent wall thickness to the overall size of the honeycomb was then derived down to about 10 percent wall thickness to the overall size was used in ANSYS. With this design one can now determine the amount of material that is needed based on how much force the structure will need to withstand. This leads to major improvement in efficiency for the industry. People who have implemented these designs or people who want to implement this design can correctly choose how thick their wall layer should be depending on their need. Bioinspired honeycomb structures can help reduce cost, improve efficiency, be stronger, and have a longer life cycle than the same cubic unit solid structure.