Sevenoaks Catalyst Magazine - Planet Earth Issue 2 - Summer term 2020 | Page 15


 Dragonfly wing is another hierarchical material consisting of multi-layered sandwich structures. “The morphology of the dragonfly wing is an optimal natural construction…developed through evolution as a response to force flows and material organization.” said the team of Maria Mingallon, who were investigating architectural applications of the dragonfly wing [3]. The geometry of the veins determines the stiffness and flexibility of the area: quadrilateral sections are stiffer than the compartmentalised hexagonal regions where the wing is allowed to bend. The corrugation of the veins means that when one region breaks, the damage is localised and allow fast repairing. Although the dragonfly wing appears to be delicate, it is able to resist high pressures in wind. Structures in nature rarely rely on the bulk properties of the material, but rather on geometry and topological arrangements to maximise the strength-to-weight ratio. The company Airbus designed an innovative airplane model that emulates the organic cellular arrangement of bone growth. It is structurally rigid and weighs 45% less than the conventional design. The light-weight structure significantly increases fuel efficiency, saving up to 465,000 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. [4] The biomimetic applications of load-bearing lightweight mechanics in natural systems create many opportunities for future of sustainable transport.