Abstract
The objective of this study is to design a biomimetic hybrid structure inspired by nacre, and conch shells and compare how the compressive characteristics change when key geometric design parameters are varied. Nacre, also known as mother of pearl, has a host of traits, suitable for survival, like its stiffness and strength. Conch, which is a common name for a number of sea snails, possesses a unique cross-lamellar structure which has a tough outer layer to resist penetration from the sharp-toothed attacks of predators, and a nacreous inner layer which can dissipate energy. A novel nacre–conch–nacre inspired sandwich core structure is designed and fabricated with fuse filament fabrication using acrylonitrile styrene acrylate filament according to the ASTM C365 standard for the flatwise compression test of sandwich core structures. Three key design parameters, namely the wall thickness, the thickness between two nacre walls, and the angle of conch were selected and varied to form nine different iterations of this design. An Abaqus finite element analysis was validated by experimental testing using an Instron 8801 servo-hydraulic universal testing machine. The results showed that conch-inspired structures’ compression properties depend on wall thickness and angle. The sample with 2 mm wall thickness and 45° conch angle had the highest compressive strength of 3.62 MPa, while the sample with 1 mm wall thickness and 50° conch angle had the lowest at 2.09 MPa. These findings suggest this structure could be used in lightweight armor, car, and aerospace parts.
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