{"id":74998,"date":"2025-07-19T09:16:27","date_gmt":"2025-07-19T09:16:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/74998\/"},"modified":"2025-07-19T09:16:27","modified_gmt":"2025-07-19T09:16:27","slug":"uta-engineer-uses-3d-printing-and-nature-inspired-design-to-build-stronger-composites-dallas-innovates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/74998\/","title":{"rendered":"UTA Engineer Uses 3D Printing and Nature-Inspired Design to Build Stronger Composites \u00bb Dallas Innovates"},"content":{"rendered":"

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[Image: Tetiana Mykhailenko\/istockphoto; DI Studio]<\/p>\n

Manufacturing engineers have long struggled with materials that crack under stress\u2014limiting how tough they can make everything from airplane wings to car frames. A University of Texas at Arlington researcher is looking to nature for answers.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Shiyao Lin is using 3D printing to re-create the crack-resistant structures found in bamboo stems and conch shells. By combining their structural principles into hybrid composites, Lin aims to develop materials that could outperform current options.<\/p>\n

His project is one of six recently awarded grants under UTA\u2019s Research Enhancement Program, which supports early-stage research with the potential to attract funding from federal agencies and nonprofit foundations. The program is administered by UTA\u2019s Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation.<\/p>\n

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Shiyao Lin, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering at UTA<\/p>\n

\u201cThis grant will train graduate and undergraduate students with analytical and hands-on skills,\u201d Lin said. He added that the project would help broaden engineering students\u2019 knowledge of zoology and biology.<\/p>\n

Lin\u2019s approach explores how natural structures prevent damage at a fundamental level\u2014bamboo\u2019s cellular design helps deflect cracks, while conch shells use layered compositions to resist fractures. <\/p>\n

By combining multiple biomimetic designs through multi-material 3D printing, his team is creating composites that could make aircraft components, automotive parts, and protective equipment more durable.<\/p>\n

The first step is to create a hybrid design inspired by the two natural models. The team will use a multi-material 3D printer to build the structures, then conduct mechanical testing alongside computational modeling to evaluate how well they hold up under stress.<\/p>\n

Lin, a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in UTA\u2019s College of Engineering, titled his project \u201cNovel Damage-Tolerant Composites Enabled by Hybrid Biomimetic Designs and Multi-Material Additive Manufacturing.\u201d<\/p>\n

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