Project Summary
Naturally available cellular materials like wood, honeycombs, bones, skulls have inspired engineers to develop new class of materials like foams and sandwich structures. We find their adaptation in engineering applications like bridges, and most recently in biomedical applications like hip and knee implants, including tissue engineering scaffolds. Rapid progress in 3D printing has resulted in fabrication of materials with micro-architected cellular features. Conventional testing have been conducted but the behavior inside these material (in non-destructive test) can only be visualized in an X-Ray CT machine. However, XCT involves taking the specimen inside the machine with no provision for testing but visualization. The proposed setup in this project facilitates in-situ loading of the cellular materials inside an X-ray machine and provide complete insight into the material. This should open up new understandings about the cellular materials to design for better engineering materials. We begin with the queen of all cellular materials – the honeycomb.