Discontinuous crack-bridging model for fracture toughness analysis of nacre

Studying the structure–property relation of biological materials can not only provide insight into the physical mechanisms underlying their superior properties and functions but also benefit the design and fabrication of advanced biomimetic materials. In this paper, we present a microstructure-based...

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Published inJournal of the mechanics and physics of solids Vol. 60; no. 8; pp. 1400 - 1419
Main Authors Shao, Yue, Zhao, Hong-Ping, Feng, Xi-Qiao, Gao, Huajian
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2012
Subjects
Biological material
Biological materials
Biomimetic materials
Biomimetics
Crack
Crack bridging
Design engineering
Fracture toughness
Mathematical models
Microstructure
Nacre
Platelets
Size effect
Biomimetics
Microstructure
Biological material
Size effect
Crack
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Summary:Studying the structure–property relation of biological materials can not only provide insight into the physical mechanisms underlying their superior properties and functions but also benefit the design and fabrication of advanced biomimetic materials. In this paper, we present a microstructure-based fracture mechanics model to investigate the toughening effect due to the crack-bridging mechanism of platelets. Our theoretical analysis demonstrates the crucial contribution of this mechanism to the high toughness of nacre. It is found that the fracture toughness of nacre exhibits distinct dependence on the sizes of platelets, and the optimized ranges for the thickness and length of platelets required to achieve higher fracture toughness are given. In addition, the effects of such factors as the mechanical properties of the organic phase (or interfaces), the effective elastic modulus of nacre, and the stacking pattern of platelets are also examined. Finally, some guidelines for the biomimetic design of novel materials are proposed based on our theoretical analysis.
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ISSN:0022-5096
DOI:10.1016/j.jmps.2012.04.011