An insect-inspired asymmetric hinge in a double-layer membrane

Abstract

Insect wings are deformable airfoils, in which deformations are mostly achieved by complicated interactions between their structural components. Due to the complexity of the wing design and technical challenges associated with testing the delicate wings, we know little about the properties of their components and how they determine wing response to flight forces. Here, we report an unusual structure from the hind-wing membrane of the beetle Pachnoda marginata . The structure, a transverse section of the claval flexion line, consists of two distinguishable layers: a bell-shaped upper layer and a straight lower layer. Our computational simulations showed that this is an effective one-way hinge, which is stiff in tension and upward bending but flexible in compression and downward bending. By systematically varying its design parameters in a computational model, we showed that the properties of the double-layer membrane hinge can be tuned over a wide range. This enabled us to develop a broad design space, which we later used for model selection. We used selected models in three distinct applications, which proved that the double-layer hinge represents a simple yet effective design strategy for controlling the mechanical response of structures using a single material and with no extra mass. The insect-inspired, one-way hinge is particularly useful for developing structures with asymmetric behavior, exhibiting different responses to the same load in two opposite directions. This multidisciplinary study not only advances our understanding of the biomechanics of complicated insect wings but also informs the design of easily tunable engineering hinges.

Complexity biomechanics: a case study of dragonfly wing design from constituting composite material to higher structural levels

“…When we approach nature from an engineering perspective and focus on the mechanical design of natural systems, we uncover collective mechanical behaviours and emergent mechanical properties resulting from their specialized design. For example, observations of snake locomotion systems [9][10][11], fish body armours [12][13][14], gecko adhesive pads [15][16][17][18], insect flight systems [19][20][21][22][23][24], beetle fighting mechanisms [25,26] and many more indicate that natural mechanical systems consist of complicated material composition, nano-and micro-architecture and structural elements. This complicatedness can arise from two underlying design principles:…”

WingSegment: A Computer Vision‐Based Hybrid Approach for Insect Wing Image Segmentation and 3D Printing

“…[ 1 ] Understanding the complex morphology of insect wings is not merely an academic pursuit in multiple scientific domains, such as biomechanics, animal behavior, physiology, and ecology, [ 2–7 ] but an inspiration for innovative technologies in the field of engineering. These include the development of robust load‐bearing structures, [ 8–10 ] bioinspired joints, [ 11–14 ] insect‐inspired hinges, [ 15 ] bioinspired wing, [ 16,17 ] insect‐inspired composites, [ 18,19 ] bioinspired attachment strategies, [ 20–22 ] and bioinspired grippers. [ 23 ]…”

“…[1] Understanding the complex morphology of insect wings is not merely an academic pursuit in multiple scientific domains, such as biomechanics, animal behavior, physiology, and ecology, [2][3][4][5][6][7] but an inspiration for innovative technologies in the field of engineering. These include the development of robust load-bearing structures, [8][9][10] bioinspired joints, [11][12][13][14] insect-inspired hinges, [15] bioinspired wing, [16,17] insectinspired composites, [18,19] bioinspired attachment strategies, [20][21][22] and bioinspired grippers. [23] As our understanding of the wing structures deepens, manual analysis methods face challenges in accurately capturing the complex geometric features to characterize wing morphology [24,25] comprehensively.…”

Allometric Scaling Reveals Evolutionary Constraint on Odonata Wing Cellularity via Critical Crack Length

“…[14][15][16][17][18] Understanding the scaling relationships between these parameters can provide insights into the mechanics of the wing and potentially inspire the development of bio-inspired materials and systems. [19][20][21][22][23] Previous studies have suggested that different Odonata species show different wing length allometries, meaning that the wing size changes at a different rate than the overall body size. [24][25][26] Other studies also suggest that the size of cells in the locust wing relates to the critical crack length, and the cellular structure of the insect wing is a crack resistance strategy to increase durability.…”