Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 10
Bio-inspired Bridge Design
Nan Hu and Peng Feng
Abstract This chapter reviews the development of the bio-inspired concept on
bridge design in the past two decades from two major forms: stationary forms and
movable forms. The objective is to show how the inspiration from the biological
world has influenced recent bridge designs and discusses how the bio-inspired idea
could transform into a new language for the future bridge design industry. Four
major challenges of the marriage between biology and engineering were discussed
and latest endeavor on each aspect are presented. Thus, a close multidisciplinary
collaboration may help engineers build more sustainable and smart structural
systems for bridges in the twenty-first century.
10.1 The Inspiration from Nature
A paradigm on biomimetics has emerged in the past two decades featuring
the translation of biological inspiration into a powerful problem-solving tool
(Bar-Cohen 2011 , 2012 ; Bhushan 2009 ; Bonser 2006 ; Petra 2008 ; Vincent 2006 ;
Vincent and Mann 2002 ; Yoseph 2006 ). Bio-inspired design is perhaps the oldest
methodology throughout the thousands of years on man-made construction history.
In ancient times, the designs of early architecture were more or less inspired from
the natural forms even without being aware of such influence. Later in history,
pioneer architects led by Antoni Gaudi and Frank Wright started to actively
consider nature as design prototypes and incorporated that philosophy into much
of their uniquely creative designs. The major drawback of biological inspiration in
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