Microcrack patterns control the mechanical strength in the biocomposites
Journal
Materials and Design
Journal Volume
140
Start Page
505
End Page
515
ISSN
18734197
02641275
Date Issued
2018
Author(s)
Abstract
Biological materials such as silk, nacre, and bone have superior mechanical properties due to their well-designed microstructures with dissimilar, namely soft and bulk, composites. It is widely believed that the unique microstructures result in high strength and toughness via a normal-shear-stress-coupling mechanism. Microcrack initiation in biological materials play a crucial role in triggering such a mechanism, and therefore further investigation of its initiating condition and microcrack propagation are needed. In this study, we first describe a staggered model from biological material and illustrate the effects under different microcrack patterns. We employ a Fast Fourier Transform based (FFT-based) homogenization method with linear elasticity and non-local damage theory to investigate the stress distribution and load transmission, as well as the microcrack propagation due to different structural designs of soft matrix geometry. The major implication of this paper is that the design of soft matrix geometry determines the microcrack initiating patterns and impacts the local transmission mechanism of biocomposites. This research provides insights into design strategies for microstructures to trigger normal-shear-stress-coupling behavior for biocomposites to achieve high toughness and strength.
Subjects
Biocomposite Design
Biological Material
Fft-based Homogenization Method
Microcrack-patterns
Composite Materials
Crack Propagation
Fast Fourier Transforms
Homogenization Method
Mathematical Transformations
Microstructure
Shear Stress
Structural Design
Bio-composites
Design Strategies
High Strength And Toughness
Linear Elasticity
Load Transmission
Microcrack Initiation
Microcrack Patterns
Transmission Mechanisms
Biological Materials
SDGs
Publisher
Elsevier Ltd
Type
journal article