Biomimetic designs from bone

ConclusionsWe discovered that the foramen—a natural hole in bone—is a structurally optimized feature. Through a heterogeneous arrangement of its composition, the foramen has shifted the highest stress away from the hole edge into a region of higher strength. We used these natural principles to design plates with holes, and demonstrated such increased performance in actual test articles. Most recently, we found the foramen to be tougher and we are currently applying this knowledge in tougher designs of fibrous materials. Our work is beneficial for the design of engineering structures with discontinuities.