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\n Media contact:<\/strong> Brian Huchel, bhuchel@purdue.edu<\/a> <\/p>\n <\/div>\n
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Despite their important role in supporting the hive layers, Chawla said, the supports are not completely solid. But their size and placement are precise enough to allow bees room to go in and repair any damage that occurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chawla\u2019s work shows how humans can draw important lessons from the plant and animal worlds in a discipline called biomimicry, which investigates naturally occurring materials and behaviors and finds inspiration for the design of new products, systems and buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The stingless bees are in a constant mode of building and tearing. Once an egg hatches, the cell it was in at the bottom of the hive is torn down, creating room there. New construction then begins moving upward in the hive\u2019s continuous spiral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere is potential to learn from these reconfigurable structures they build and even the spiral, ramplike structures,\u201d Chawla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hives brought to Purdue from Australia over the summer are examined using 4D imaging, a sophisticated three-dimensional X-ray microscopy technique combined with a time lapse that provides an unprecedented means of studying and quantifying the honeycomb\u2019s microstructure. The imaging offers a unique view into the hive without damaging it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aspects of honeycombs are already used in several applications, from construction and structural materials to shoes. But for the Australian stingless bee, materials usage is just as important as construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nicole Balog is a graduate student in materials engineering working with Chawla on the research. She said the pillars and the honeycomb itself, unlike the honeycombs found in the U.S., aren\u2019t made just of wax. Instead, the bees will collect tree resin in addition to pollen and bring those substances back to the hive. The resin is stored and mixed with wax for building later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo there\u2019s a lot of questions that we have with the resin, like how much are they adding to the wax, and do they change the amount that they\u2019re adding based on the location of the hive, the time of year and other factors?\u201d she said. \u201cOnce we know how much they\u2019re adding to it, how does that affect the mechanical properties of the hive?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chawla\u2019s research into the stingless bees\u2019 honeycomb is an extension of his initial work looking at the construction and makeup of honeycombs found in the U.S.<\/a> His 2022 research revealed some of the junctions between the honeycomb cells found locally were created using less material, with the resulting porous connections resembling Swiss cheese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chawla is collaborating with Brock Harpur, an associate professor of entomology at the Purdue Bee Lab, and Ros Gloag, a senior lecturer at the University of Sydney in Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to his research, Chawla is the Purdue associate dean for engineering in Indianapolis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 107,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 58,000 at our main campus in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue\u2019s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap \u2014 including its comprehensive urban expansion, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative \u2014 at https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/president\/strategic-initiatives<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/honeycomb-1.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
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