Lightweight engineering and cacti branches

From nature...

Large, columnar cacti and tree-like Aloe or Yucca-species differ fundamentally in their construction from native woody plants.

Their stability is based on comparatively few woody laminae or vascular bundles embedded in non-reinforced ground tissue..

The base of lateral branches is subjected to the greatest dynamic stress, and yet in cacti it is much thinner than the rest of the branch! This is also true of the central woody cylinder. Nevertheless, shoots and branches of these "desert trees" are very stable

Into technology...

Nature has been "working" to optimize the system for many thousands of years. Similar to tree-shaped succulents, composites made of stable fibers embedded in a matrix also have advantages in lightweight engineering. TU scientists' study of the structure and fiber course of our cacti yielded tips on how such materials can be made even lighter and more stable: Using suitable braiding methods, they produced branched components modeled on the cacti, among other things.

Image captions:

The cross-section through a columnar cactus shows the ring-shaped, narrow wooden cylinder.

The lateral branch of a columnar cactus (here the prepared wooden cylinder) is thinnest at the point of attachment.

Braiding machine for the production of branched components made of fiber composites.

English translation of the information panel in the Botanical Garden.