South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
has been awarded
$475,000 from the National Science Foundation to study how termites
construct mounds with the idea that humans might one day adapt the
energy-efficient homebuilding techniques of the insects. The award is a
follow-up to a previous grant by NSF of $300,000.
Mines faculty researchers spent
time in the African country of Namibia to study the shape and function of
termite mounds. The mounds are resilient and naturally energy efficient. Their
intricate interior designs provide ventilation and temperature regulation
throughout what can easily be a 15-foot-tall home for a single colony of 2
million termites.
“An understanding of the natural
processes involved in termite mound construction and function can be adapted to
inform engineering applications related to the construction of man-made
structures that require zero or minimal energy inputs,” said the NSF award
letter.
Co-principal investigator Andrea
Surovek, Ph.D., a research scientist from SD Mines’ Department
of Mechanical Engineering, has lead research that examined hundreds
of slices of a termite mound and has developed three-dimensional models of
numerous mounds using photo capture technology. “The termites have an innate
sense of how to build a stable structure, which is remarkable since they
construct them one piece of soil at a time. We have found that the external
form of the mound is less dependent on the climate and more on the type of soil
available for construction,” Surovek said.
The current study focuses on the
make-up of the constructed mound material to help establish how the air is
coming into and circulated through the mounds. The multidisciplinary project
involves engineering, material science and biology and will lead to advances in
materials and structural forms that require significantly less energy and are
more sustainable than traditional construction.
“Research outcomes will move the
U.S. toward greater energy independence and security. Technology transfer of
new materials and systems will grow manufacturing and strengthen national
economic development,” said the NSF award announcement.
Principal investigator Bret
Lingwall, Ph.D., and co-principal investigator Christopher Shearer, Ph.D., are
from the Department
of Civil & Environmental Engineering at SD Mines. William
Capehart, Ph.D., and Khsoro Shahbazi, Ph.D., were investigators on the initial
studies.