They are also researching how to make the fibers bio-compatible, so that perhaps human knee meniscus parts-which have similar and naturally occurring radial-style structures-can be 3-D printed as knee replacements.įuture horse jockeys, baseball batters, skiers and football players could be scanned for custom-fitted, super-strength 3-D-printed helmets on the spot. The process could be used to print fracture-proof helmets. Their carbon nanotubes mimic the real-life shell fibers. Yang and Yong Chen, a University of Southern California Industrial and Systems Engineering professor, are developing 3-D printed, microscopic-sized carbon nanotubes that are aligned into lobster-inspired layers of resiliency. And this is what makes them a ready model for sports helmets. The three tiers make it tough or impossible for cracks to widen into a break. Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientists have shown how shells’ stacks of fibers are uniquely resistant to fracture, due to the three separate levels of their architecture. Shells have the capacity to endure tremendous force, compared to materials of less complex design. “So a small crack cannot generate a long crack that you might see in other materials,” Yang explained. “Because of the layering mechanics, a crack cannot fracture through all the layers.” Breaking only one fiber leaves all the others-and their nested interconnectedness-undamaged. “Rotating layers are the structure we see in lobsters,” Yang told the Daily Beast. Breaking only one fiber is what seafood-cracking utensils will do-until serious force is applied. The reason lobster shells are hard to crack is that they consist of fibers stacked up at three different angles, making them unusually resistant to fracture. Concussion injuries menace athletes from Little League to the NFL, but could lobsters offer a solution toward uncrackable helmets? Other frustrated diners might just stare longingly at the lemon-and-butter cup into which they have nothing to dip, but the University of Southern California engineering researcher was spurred to wonder if concussion-proof helmets could be built like lobster shells. Yang Yang recently had trouble breaking lobster claws while eating at a restaurant. Like untold numbers of seafood lovers, Dr.
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