Potentialities of Agave sisalana Fibers in the Design of Bioinspired Materials and Artifacts

The biodesign approach is believed to prioritize research and eco-performance metrics over creating bioinspired shapes and materials. This paper explores Agave ’s strategies for achieving lightness and strength. A bioinspired process was developed, considering the following steps: biologically based study involving microscopic observations of natural elements; parametric modeling applied to bioinspired surf artifacts and generation of optimized study models using digital fabrication processes and 3D printing (stereolithography (SL)) and computerized numerical control (CNC); and development of biologically based composites that combine Agave fiber with castor resin. Subsequent verification of mechanical properties was conducted through bending and tensile tests. The insertion of 20% crushed 600 μm Agave fibers in an expansive castor polyurethane resin matrix has been found to increase the maximum stress. It was found that longer fibers offer more resistance, whereas shorter fibers produce less resistance but demonstrate more homogeneous behavior. This way, it was possible to emulate strategies for achieving lightness and resistance in structures and composite materials with applications in bioinspired surf artifacts.