Bionics at Rittal


Bionic damping

Shock absorbing systems are widespread in nature. The importance of the damping function is clearly manifested in animals and humans, e.g. in the head of a woodpecker or in the intervertebral discs in humans. However, shock absorbing systems can also be found in many plants. Slender grasses, for example, are capable of damping vibrations of the blades caused by the wind. Some of these animal and plant models were used as archetypes for the development of the bionic pallet.

In a feasibility study conducted as part of the BMBF ideas competition "Bionics - Innovation from Nature", the development and construction of a novel shock-absorbing transport pallet with bionic structure optimisation was investigated. Sensitive goods such as computer server cabinets are transported on shock-absorbing pallets. Conventional pallet systems consist of a combination of different materials, e.g. wood, metal and plastic. These are usually disposed of after a single use, which does not only constitute a waste of resources, but also creates an ecological problem due to the nature of the material mixture, which is not or only partially recyclable. The bionic pallet is to be constructed with a composite material comprising a foamed matrix and strengthening fibres having an optimised orientation. With the use of renewable raw materials, e.g. hemp, flax or linen, the bionic pallet would be, at a similar cost, significantly more environmentally friendly than the pallets used so far. For this reason, the bionic pallet developed in this Research & Development project has a substantial ecological and economic benefit.

Bionic cold plate

Solutions inspired on bionics are also incorporated into further developments in the area of cold plate technology. In recent years, the use of cold plate technology for energy efficient heat dissipation in frequency converters has dramatically increased. A bionic approach is now being adopted to optimise this concept from an energy point of view. The approach leading to this development was inspired on the geometry of human blood vessels. Fractals, i.e. multi-branched cooling line structures are used for optimised heat dissipation.

Bionically inspired cable entries

Objective: To develop a cable entry with the following attributes


Structure and form-related biomimicry provided the initial ideas for a bionically inspired cable entry. The circular muscle systems such as those found in the annelid worm (shown right), and the folding and pleating mechanisms found in the flowers of the night blooming cactus (shown left) provide inspiration for technical design.

Initial results

This interdisciplinary research project soon achieved initial success:
Two prototypes were successfully showcased at the Hanover Industry Trade Fair 2006 at a joint stand with the BIOKON Competence Network.


The latest innovations in lightweight construction (honeycomb technology)





Principle:

Calculation example: A honeycomb plate consisting of two joined 0.4 mm steel plates has the equivalent rigidity of a 4.25 mm thick solid steel plate weighing 5.3 times as much!

The benefits are obvious:

Thanks to the low weight coupled with improved rigidity, the honeycomb structure offers an excellent range of potential applications in side panel manufacturing.