Understanding the multifunctional design of glass skeleton of <i>Euplectella Aspergillum</i> sponge

Euplectella Aspergillum (E.A. sponge), a species of glass sponges that builds its lattice skeleton primarily with brittle silica, is of interest due to its extremely lightweight lattice structure with hierarchical structural designs. However, limited research has been conducted on the structural-mechanical description of the skeleton of the E.A. sponge, which limits the understanding of the multifunctionality of the lattice. Here, we utilize parametric modeling, simulations, and experiments to comprehensively study the multifunctionality of the skeleton of the E.A. sponge. With quantitative structural measurements, we construct a biomimetic model to conduct computational study on the mechanics of different cylindrical lattices under different loadings. In addition, we devise a fully parametric modeling method to survey the correlation between structural descriptors and mechanical properties. The ridge structures that spiral along the cylindrical lattice are also studied for its mechanical and fluidic functions. Our work provides further understanding of the lattice design principles of E.A. sponge and sheds light on design of cellular structures with multifunctional requirement.