Bioinspired avian feather designs.

Abstract

Avian flight feathers have developed, through evolution, an intricate architecture with multi-functional structures that are essential for flight. These lightweight and resilient appendages motivate the invention of bioinspired designs. Here we fabricate various structures inspired by significant concepts identified in the feather vane and shaft. Bioinspired prototypes based on the feather vane's unique adhesive mechanism and directional permeability are explored, and feather-shaft inspired designs motivated by the highly ordered hierarchical fiber-matrix structure in the feather are fabricated. The exquisite architecture of the rachis, consisting of a hollow tube filled with foam, is simulated in a bioinspired design that demonstrates the synergy of the two components in enhancing the flexural strength. These structures provide an enhanced understanding of the mechanisms operating in feathers and suggest highly efficient solutions which can contribute to creating innovative materials inspired by the feather.