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Biomimetics, a design approach to create new structures inspired to natural smart systems, is widely
used as an engineering method for the design of new materials. Indeed, in nature you can find many examples
of smart structures, which can be easily copied. Id est, bone is an interesting material with a hierarchical
organization, showing an optimal combination of mechanical properties, and characterized by a remarkable
toughness, in spite of its brittle mineral components. Indeed, it is generally considered as a biomimetic model,
that can be mimicked to build new bio-inspired materials. Here we present the design, realization and testing of
a new composite material, which mimics the microstructure of human bone, by using a biomimetic approach.
The bone-inspired composite is a synthetic composite made of glass and carbon fibers impregnated into an
epoxy matrix, and showing an internal organization aimed at reproducing the main structural features,
characteristic of the microstructure of cortical bone (i.e. osteons). We perform a complete characterization of
this material, along with that of a classical laminate, designed to make a comparison. After testing the new
material, we also propose new solutions to improve the initial design, based on the results of the experimental
tests and on numerical simulations previously performed on bone nanocomposites models.