Wind-resilient civil structures: What can we learn from nature

Abstract

Owing to changing weather patterns, catastrophic natural disasters are expected to happen more frequently and cause dramatic life and economic losses worldwide. The United States experienced a historically high record of weather disasters in 2017, with the economic losses exceeding 300 billion dollars. A major contributor to economic loss and threat to public safety is damage, destruction, and failure of civil structures in the strong-wind dominated disasters. There is a pressing need for reconstruction and redesign of critical civil structures to better cope with high winds to mitigate the loss of lives and properties. This paper takes a biomimetic perspective to link problem areas with potential solutions for future bio-inspired technology development, by identifying the most vulnerable aspects of civil structures in strong winds on one side and wind-resilient examples of biological systems on the other side. Of particular interest are plants that thrive in high winds, as they have likely adapted to manage the harsh environment under pressure of natural selection. Specific biological examples include the Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantean Britton & Rose), reed grass, and shape reconfiguration of leaves. A review of problem areas, abstracted principles, and exemplary biological role models shall inform and guide towards new designs of wind-resilient civil structures.

Shape reconfiguration through origami folding sets an upper limit on drag

“…Reconfiguration of plants has since been extensively described, testifying of the omnipresence of this self-protective mechanism [1,3,4]. Engineering also adopted the strategy of flexibility, increasingly favouring compliant components over rigid ones [5][6][7]. They are more adaptable and resilient to fluctuating environments, and their ability to shape-shift makes them more versatile.…”