Lobster shell patterns make concrete stronger

Links to the press release from the university [1] and the published study [2] have more information than this. The study is more specifically how different patterns of 3D printing concrete can increase strength over the conventional unidirectional printing in parallel lines.<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.rmit.edu.au&#x2F;news&#x2F;all-news&#x2F;2021&#x2F;jan&#x2F;lobster-concrete" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.rmit.edu.au&#x2F;news&#x2F;all-news&#x2F;2021&#x2F;jan&#x2F;lobster-concr...</a><p>[2] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.liebertpub.com&#x2F;doi&#x2F;10.1089&#x2F;3dp.2020.0172" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.liebertpub.com&#x2F;doi&#x2F;10.1089&#x2F;3dp.2020.0172</a>

Negative post here - interesting research but shame on reuters &#x2F; researcher for pretending this is biomimicry. The article does not say at all how the concrete has anything to do with lobster shells.<p>Further, rotating layers to change the bulk performance of materials composed of anisotropic plies is very old technology developed originally for aerospace &#x2F; racing applications.<p>Ansys has an entire package devoted to the analysis of structures made from anisotropic materials in this way.

A criss-cross pattern is now called biomimicry?<p>The following article has pictures and a video:<p><pre><code> https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theconstructionindex.co.uk&#x2F;news&#x2F;view&#x2F;lobster-shells-inspire-stronger-3d-printed-concrete </code></pre> This is the normal top&#x2F;bot pattern for 3D printing, right? I don&#x27;t think it was copied from lobsters.<p>Or am I missing something? Or is this totally misrepresented?

This reminds me of tabby, concrete mixed with oyster shells. You can still find all these old buildings made of it from the Colonial days in Georgia and South Carolina.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Tabby_concrete" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Tabby_concrete</a><p>The &quot;tech&quot; you find in the oceans is truly amazing.

The news release <i>Bio-inspired: How lobsters can help make stronger 3D printed concrete</i> [1] from RMIT University (with 1 minute video) and the paper <i>Influences of Printing Pattern on Mechanical Performance of Three-Dimensional-Printed Fiber-Reinforced Concrete</i> [2]:<p>&gt; Underperformed interfacial bond and anisotropic properties are often observed in three-dimensional-printed concrete, where the printing pattern is unidirectional. Such issues could be potentially alleviated by replicating microstructures of natural materials or applying different architectures, where printed layers are arranged into unique and unconventional patterns.<p>&gt; The addition of steel fibers leads to noticeable improvement on both compressive and flexural strengths of samples in any pattern compared with their counterparts without fibers. Besides, the inclusion of steel fibers into unconventional layups (cross-ply, quasi-isotropic, and helicoidal patterns) leads to the alleviation of directional dependence of mechanical properties, which is a limitation of the unidirectional samples with fibers.<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.rmit.edu.au&#x2F;news&#x2F;all-news&#x2F;2021&#x2F;jan&#x2F;lobster-concrete" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.rmit.edu.au&#x2F;news&#x2F;all-news&#x2F;2021&#x2F;jan&#x2F;lobster-concr...</a><p>[2] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.liebertpub.com&#x2F;doi&#x2F;10.1089&#x2F;3dp.2020.0172" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.liebertpub.com&#x2F;doi&#x2F;10.1089&#x2F;3dp.2020.0172</a>

As has been mentioned elsewhere, the reuters link is pretty much fluff (lobster, lobster, lobster) in that the RMIT paper <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.liebertpub.com&#x2F;doi&#x2F;10.1089&#x2F;3dp.2020.0172" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.liebertpub.com&#x2F;doi&#x2F;10.1089&#x2F;3dp.2020.0172</a> discusses Bouligand structures and uses the lobster as a biological example. Non biological examples abound.<p>Structures for improving adhesion and strength in FDM printing (which arguably includes pumping concrete) is important and continually researched - basic, commercial and diy <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;playlist?list=PLEOQTmIWJ_rmoqdFUCgKrNu_BsMVB7e1V" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;playlist?list=PLEOQTmIWJ_rmoqdFUCgKr...</a>

Biomimicry is fascinating. There&#x27;s some good info at the Biomimicry Institute:<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;biomimicry.org" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;biomimicry.org</a>

Biology has much to offer for us. There are millions of years of evolution encapsulated in some of the biological form and structures out there.

Similarly, abalone shell patterns were considered for ceramic armor plates. <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;ceramics.org&#x2F;ceramic-tech-today&#x2F;ceramic-video&#x2F;video-move-over-polymers-3d-printed-ceramic-body-armor-has-arrived" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;ceramics.org&#x2F;ceramic-tech-today&#x2F;ceramic-video&#x2F;video-...</a>

I was watching a documentary on electricity and it said how Volta used nature as inspiration.<p>The alternating pattern of a Torpedo fish&#x27;s muscle cells were the basis for the voltaic pile. The discs were mimicking how the many small cells of the fish combined small amounts of electricity into a larger amount.

Mmmm, Reading the title I was expecting they were developing some system that made a super strong exo skeleton with a porous interior just like lobsters, or bones.<p>They have done nothing like that. Criss cross printed lines? Adding reinforcement fibers?<p>That is as old as 3D printing.

It would be nice if there were a picture of this pattern included.

Completely unrelated, but I somehow thought <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;lobste.rs" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;lobste.rs</a> had invented a new shell (script) pattern at first.

This is a common technique when laying up carbon fiber &#x2F; fiberglass parts. For each layer you put down, you vary the orientation of the fibers such that you don&#x27;t end up with them all pointing in the same direction. This makes the material behave more like something homogeneous, like steel or aluminum, for example.<p>I don&#x27;t see what this has to do with lobster shells.