Tapping the wondrous world of plant structures and functions for bio-inspired materials research
Event details
| Date | 08.05.2017 |
| Hour | 13:15 › 14:15 |
| Speaker | Prof. Thomas Speck, University of Freiburg, Germany |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
Plant Biomechanics Group Freiburg, Botanic Garden, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestr. 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany, Competence Network Biomimetics, Freiburg Centre for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies (FIT) and Freiburg Materials Research Centre (FMF)
During the last decades biomimetics has attracted increasing attention as well from basic and applied research as from various fields of industry, architecture and especially from building construction. Biomimetics has a high innovation potential and offers the possibility for the development of sustainable technical products and production chains. The huge number of organisms with the specific structures and functions they have developed during evolution in adaptation to differing environments represents the basis for all biomimetic R&D-projects. Novel sophisticated methods for quantitatively analysing and simulating the form-structure-function-relationship on various hierarchical levels allowed new fascination insights in multi-scale mechanics and other functions of biological materials and surfaces. On the other hand, new production methods enable for the first time the transfer of many outstanding properties of the biological role models into innovative biomimetic products for reasonable costs. Within the framework of the new Collaborative Research Centre CRC 141 “Biological Design and Integrative Structures - Analysis, Simulation and Implementation in Architecture” an interdisciplinary team of biologists, physicists, mathematicians, engineers, material scientists and architects aims to explore the potential of biomimetics for a new smart kind of bioinspired architecture.
After a short introduction into the interdisciplinary approach and the different process sequences for the development of biomimetic materials for building construction are presented using examples from CRC 141 and other current R&D-projects of the Plant Biomechanics Group Freiburg. Main focus is laid on bioinspired light-weight and damping materials and structures as well as on self-x-materials. Examples for light-weight materials with excellent mechanical properties are branched fiber-reinforced composite materials and jackets for concrete pillars inspired by branched stems of dragon trees and columnar cacti. Examples for structural materials with a high energy dissipation capacity include fiber-reinforced graded foams and ultra-thin-layer materials which are inspired by fruit peels (pomelo, coconut) and seed coats (macadamia). Examples for compliant mechanisms include rod-shaped structures with (self-)adaptive stiffness and hinge-less bending behaviour as well as the bioinspired façade-shading systems flectofin® and flectofold inspired by the bird of paradise flower and the waterwheel plant, respectively. Additionally some examples for biomimetic self-repairing materials and structures inspired by various plant organs will be presented.
Literature:
J. Knippers, T. Speck & K. Nickel (eds.) (2016): Biomimetic Research for Architecture and Building Construction: Biological Design and Integrative Structures. Biologically-Inspired Systems, Vol. 9, Springer, Heidelberg, Berlin. DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-46374-2_7
Bührig-Polaczek, A., Fleck, C., Speck, T., Schüler, P., Fischer, S.F., Caliaro, M. & Thielen, M. (2016): Biomimetic Cellular Metals - Using Hierarchical Structuring for Energy Absorption. – Bioinspiration and Biomimetics, 11(4): DOI:10.1088/1748-3190/11/4/045002
Speck, T., Mülhaupt, R. & Speck, O. (2013): Self-healing in plants as bio-inspiration for self-repairing polymers. – In: W. Binder (ed.), Self-Healing Polymers, 61 - 89. Wiley-VCH, Weinheim.
Bio: Thomas Speck studied biology at the University of Freiburg (PhD 1990) and received 1996 the venia legendi for botany & biophysics. After a visiting professorship at the University of Vienna he was offered professorships at the Humboldt-University in Berlin and at the University of Freiburg where he acted from 2002 until 2006 associate professor for ‘Botany’ and director of the Botanic Garden. After declining the offer of a full professorship and the directorship in general of the Botanic Garden at the Freie University Berlin he became in 2006 full professor for ‘Botany: Functional Morphology and Biomimetics’.
He is speaker of the Competence Network Biomimetics, vice-president of BIOKON international, vice-chair of the Society for Technical Biology and Bionics, and board member of the Biomechanics Group of the Society for Experimental Biology, U.K. Thomas Speck is deputy director of the Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bio-Inspired Technologies (FIT) and scientific member of the Materials Research Centre Freiburg (FMF).
He has received several scientific awards, is (co-)editor of several scientific books and journals and has published more than 500 scientific articles in the fields of functional morphology, biomechanics, biomimetics, evolutionary biology and palaeobotany.
During the last decades biomimetics has attracted increasing attention as well from basic and applied research as from various fields of industry, architecture and especially from building construction. Biomimetics has a high innovation potential and offers the possibility for the development of sustainable technical products and production chains. The huge number of organisms with the specific structures and functions they have developed during evolution in adaptation to differing environments represents the basis for all biomimetic R&D-projects. Novel sophisticated methods for quantitatively analysing and simulating the form-structure-function-relationship on various hierarchical levels allowed new fascination insights in multi-scale mechanics and other functions of biological materials and surfaces. On the other hand, new production methods enable for the first time the transfer of many outstanding properties of the biological role models into innovative biomimetic products for reasonable costs. Within the framework of the new Collaborative Research Centre CRC 141 “Biological Design and Integrative Structures - Analysis, Simulation and Implementation in Architecture” an interdisciplinary team of biologists, physicists, mathematicians, engineers, material scientists and architects aims to explore the potential of biomimetics for a new smart kind of bioinspired architecture.
After a short introduction into the interdisciplinary approach and the different process sequences for the development of biomimetic materials for building construction are presented using examples from CRC 141 and other current R&D-projects of the Plant Biomechanics Group Freiburg. Main focus is laid on bioinspired light-weight and damping materials and structures as well as on self-x-materials. Examples for light-weight materials with excellent mechanical properties are branched fiber-reinforced composite materials and jackets for concrete pillars inspired by branched stems of dragon trees and columnar cacti. Examples for structural materials with a high energy dissipation capacity include fiber-reinforced graded foams and ultra-thin-layer materials which are inspired by fruit peels (pomelo, coconut) and seed coats (macadamia). Examples for compliant mechanisms include rod-shaped structures with (self-)adaptive stiffness and hinge-less bending behaviour as well as the bioinspired façade-shading systems flectofin® and flectofold inspired by the bird of paradise flower and the waterwheel plant, respectively. Additionally some examples for biomimetic self-repairing materials and structures inspired by various plant organs will be presented.
Literature:
J. Knippers, T. Speck & K. Nickel (eds.) (2016): Biomimetic Research for Architecture and Building Construction: Biological Design and Integrative Structures. Biologically-Inspired Systems, Vol. 9, Springer, Heidelberg, Berlin. DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-46374-2_7
Bührig-Polaczek, A., Fleck, C., Speck, T., Schüler, P., Fischer, S.F., Caliaro, M. & Thielen, M. (2016): Biomimetic Cellular Metals - Using Hierarchical Structuring for Energy Absorption. – Bioinspiration and Biomimetics, 11(4): DOI:10.1088/1748-3190/11/4/045002
Speck, T., Mülhaupt, R. & Speck, O. (2013): Self-healing in plants as bio-inspiration for self-repairing polymers. – In: W. Binder (ed.), Self-Healing Polymers, 61 - 89. Wiley-VCH, Weinheim.
Bio: Thomas Speck studied biology at the University of Freiburg (PhD 1990) and received 1996 the venia legendi for botany & biophysics. After a visiting professorship at the University of Vienna he was offered professorships at the Humboldt-University in Berlin and at the University of Freiburg where he acted from 2002 until 2006 associate professor for ‘Botany’ and director of the Botanic Garden. After declining the offer of a full professorship and the directorship in general of the Botanic Garden at the Freie University Berlin he became in 2006 full professor for ‘Botany: Functional Morphology and Biomimetics’.
He is speaker of the Competence Network Biomimetics, vice-president of BIOKON international, vice-chair of the Society for Technical Biology and Bionics, and board member of the Biomechanics Group of the Society for Experimental Biology, U.K. Thomas Speck is deputy director of the Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bio-Inspired Technologies (FIT) and scientific member of the Materials Research Centre Freiburg (FMF).
He has received several scientific awards, is (co-)editor of several scientific books and journals and has published more than 500 scientific articles in the fields of functional morphology, biomechanics, biomimetics, evolutionary biology and palaeobotany.
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- General public
- Free
Organizer
- Michele Ceriotti & Esther Amstad
Contact
- Michele Ceriotti & Esther Amstad