Sea Sponge Skeletons Inspire Stronger, Lighter Load-Bearing Structures

An Anonymous Coward writes:

Sea sponge skeletons inspire stronger, lighter load-bearing structures:

From next-generation body armor to new treatments for tuberculosis, marine sponges have plenty to offer the world of science, and now we're seeing how they might inspire stronger and lighter skyscrapers and bridges. Engineers at Harvard University have demonstrated a new type of load-bearing structure based on the glassy skeletons of these sea creatures, which they say is more than 20 percent stronger than current solutions.

Diagonal lattice architectures are the backbone of typical covered bridges built from light and cheaper materials, making use of tightly arranged diagonal beams to evenly spread the load. Engineers have used this approach since the early 1800s, with the technique also used to support tall buildings and even the metal storage shelves you could find at your local home improvement store. But the Harvard team believes there is room for improvement.

"It gets the job done, but it's not optimal, leading to wasted or redundant material and a cap on how tall we can build," says first author of the study Matheus Fernandes. "One of the main questions driving this research was, can we make these structures more efficient from a material allocation perspective, ultimately using less material to achieve the same strength?"

Read more of this story at SoylentNews.