Bioinspired Materials, Designs, and Manufacturing Strategies for Advanced Impact‐Resistant Helmets
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The development of next‐generation helmet systems is increasingly guided by bioinspired design strategies that replicate nature's hierarchical and multifunctional structures to achieve superior energy absorption and impact mitigation. This review synthesizes recent progress in materials, structural designs, and manufacturing techniques inspired by biological models such as nacre, woodpecker skull, porcupine quills, beetle exoskeletons, and diatom frustules. Emerging fabrication approaches, including additive freeze casting, manufacturing, and hybrid fabrication techniques, enable the creation of complex, tailored architectures with programmable mechanical responses. Innovations in lightweight nanocomposites, auxetic lattices, and functionally graded foams are highlighted for their ability to improve resistance to both linear and rotational impacts. The integration of smart materials (e.g., self‐healing polymers, shape memory materials), sustainable alternatives, and multifunctional reinforcements further advance helmet performance. Key challenges, including design complexity, scalability, long‐term durability, computational modeling, and cost‐effectiveness, are also examined. Finally, future research directions are outlined, proposing a roadmap for designing safer, smarter, and more sustainable helmets by uniting bioinspired structural principles with cutting‐edge materials science and digital manufacturing.
Source: Advanced Engineering Materials
Authors: Joseph Schlager, Yi Jin, Mohammad Faruk, Jay Alberts, C. Chase Cao
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,520
OpenAlex ID: W4415354010