Title: Erosion behaviour of bio-inspired 3D printed PLA surfaces under sand-blasting conditions

Authors: Golam Fahim; Zahid Hasan; Aquib Rahman; Karib Ahmed Chowdhury; Atik Faisal Shihab; Rezone Islam Abir

Addresses: Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh ' Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh ' Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh ' Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh ' Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh ' Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh

Abstract: Biomimetic designs aim to replicate the naturally resilient surface patterns observed in desert-dwelling plants and animals to reduce surface wear and erosion of high-velocity vehicles. This study examines the effectiveness of bio-inspired surface patterns for improved erosion properties. The study produced and compared a variety of PLA samples featuring diverse designs based on nature. An erosive sand-blasting test was performed on the samples. After the test, the samples are analysed with the help of an inverted microscope. Different erosion types across the layers of the 3D printed samples and weight loss over time were identified The initial findings indicate that specific patterns, specifically the 'sand fish' inspired pattern (0.0226% erosion) with a parallel alignment and the 'wave' shaped pattern (0.0462% erosion) with a near-perpendicular alignment to erosive forces, exhibited significantly superior performance compared to the traditional 'flat' pattern (0.3636% erosion) in terms of minimising erosion wear.

Keywords: surface; topography; bioinspiration; patterns; tribology; durability; additive manufacturing.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSURFSE.2026.154835

International Journal of Surface Science and Engineering, 2026 Vol.20 No.2, pp.208 - 230

Received: 28 Aug 2025
Accepted: 07 Mar 2026
Published online: 15 Jul 2026 *

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