Chapter Fourteen - Advancing research efforts in biomimicry to develop nature-inspired materials, processes for space exploration and more efficient aircraft

Abstract

The aerospace industry is constantly evolving, striving for significant improvements in aircraft and spacecraft efficiency. Efforts to replace metal parts with polymer matrix composites have resulted in lower vehicular weight, better efficiency, and reduced emissions in air travel. Lower weight has also led to cost savings for space travel due to lower launch costs. Designing new materials and structures that combine multiple functions into a single structure is a concept that will further reduce mass and boost efficiency; it is just one area of modern developments that can be anticipated in next-generation aerospace systems. Establishing a sustainable presence on the Moon will require advanced technologies and materials that can reliably operate and perform in harsh space environments. To seek innovative solutions for many of these challenges, researchers and engineers have begun to think in unconventional ways to design and fabricate better aerospace materials. Living systems are the best models of efficiency. Nature is very effective and efficient at conserving energy, recovering from damage, withstanding mechanical stresses and impact, and surviving in harsh terrestrial environments. Natural composites such as bones, antlers, and seashells are some of the most damage tolerant materials with respect to their size, density, and composition. This does not infer that human-made materials are inferior to natural composites, as synthetic composites can tolerate loads and temperatures that natural systems cannot survive; however, there are material design improvements that we can observe in nature to help materials perform better and last longer. In this chapter, we discuss different biological examples and principles and illustrate how these models could play a role in designing next-generation aerospace materials. We also discuss existing barriers and advanced fabrication techniques that offer the greatest potential to develop novel, bio-inspired materials.