Design factors for determining the radula shape of Euhadra Peliomphala

Abstract

Biomimetics present useful ideas for various product designs. However, most biomimetics only mimic the features of living organisms. It has not been clarified how a given shape is attained through natural selection. This paper presents the design factors that optimize the radula shape of Euhadra peliomphala. Clarifying the important design factors would help designers in solving several problems simultaneously in order to adapt to complicated and multi-functionalized design mechanisms. We measured the radula of Euhadra peliomphala by using a microscope and modeled the grinding/cutting force using the finite element analysis (FEA). We reproduced the natural selection using multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA). We compared the solutions when optimizing the radula shape using objective functions of each combination of stress, cutting force, abrasion, or volume. The results show that the solution obtained through two-objective optimization with stress and cutting force was the closest to the actual radula shape.