BREED - A Problem Solving Bionic Design Methodology

Abstract

Bionic designs which have evolved from time-tested strategies of nature have been a source of inspiration for designers to solve problems. The beauty of nature’s form is derived from effective evolution and robustness of its function. Current bionic design methods are analogical and hence are discordant to the design engineering workflow. In this paper, a methodology is proposed which suggests suitable bionic structures to a given design space. The methodology consists of the following stages which are Bionic representation, Relation, Emulation, Engineering specifications, Design verification and optimisation (BREED) and finally realization. This methodology aims to function as a systematic problem-solving approach to retrieve structural inspirations from nature and mimic its form. The methodology also integrates biological inputs to the context of an engineering design problem. Inspiration and validation phases of the bionic structure are represented as a V- model. The designer can leverage this framework to come up with novel bionic design concepts. A structural dome is used as a case study to demonstrate the procedure of BREED methodology. Biological forms for the dome are obtained using a spectral matching technique. The bionic design is validated after applying relevant boundary conditions and by using proven engineering methods.