Integrated honeycomb structure of a beetle forewing and its imitation

On the basis of past studies on the structures of beetle forewings, we have devised an approach to construct honeycomb plates in the form of an integrated body. We solve the problems encountered in the manufacturing processes, such as edge sealing and molding processes. Beginning with the knowledge that the forewing of a beetle, Allomyrina dichotoma, has a completely integrated trabecular honeycomb structure and a natural edge sealing structure, we investigated the formed mechanism, functions and mechanical properties of the structure. Inspired by the structure of the forewing, in this paper, we propose an edge sealing technique. Our novel technique establishes manufacturing processes that achieve integrated honeycomb plates with edge sealing. Furthermore, optimization methods have been developed to eliminate the influence of processing holes, by integrating male molds, and to shorten the molding time, by choosing a fast-curing resin. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.