Bringing to life the fascinating structures and unique mechanics of natural and biomedical cellular materials, this book is an expert guide to the subject for graduates and researchers. Arranged in three parts, it begins with a review of the mechanical properties of nature's building blocks (structural proteins, polysaccharides and minerals) and the mechanics of cellular materials. Part II then describes a wide range of cellular materials in nature: honeycomb-like materials such as wood and cork; foam-like materials including trabecular bone, plant parenchyma, coral and sponge; and composites of cellular and dense materials such as iris leaves, skulls, palm, bamboo, animal quills and plant stems. Images convey the structural similarities of different materials, whilst color property charts provide mechanical data. Part III discusses biomedical applications of cellular materials: metal foams for orthopedic applications and porous scaffolds for regenerating tissues, including the effect of scaffold properties on cell behavior.

Cellular solids include engineering honeycombs and foams (which can now be made from polymers, metals, ceramics, and composites) as well as natural materials, such as wood, cork, and cancellous bone. This new edition of a classic work details current understanding of the structure and mechanical behavior of cellular materials, and the ways in which they can be exploited in engineering design. Gibson and Ashby have brought the book completely up to date, including new work on processing of metallic and ceramic foams and on the mechanical, electrical and acoustic properties of cellular solids. Data for commercially available foams are presented on material property charts; two new case studies show how the charts are used for selection of foams in engineering design. Over 150 references appearing in the literature since the publication of the first edition are cited. It will be of interest to graduate students and researchers in materials science and engineering.