Biological Materials Science: Biological Materials Science I
Sponsored by: TMS Functional Materials Division, TMS: Biomaterials Committee
Program Organizers: David Restrepo, University of Texas at San Antonio; Steven Naleway, University of Utah; Jing Du, Pennsylvania State University; Ning Zhang, Baylor University; Hannes Schniepp, William & Mary
Monday 8:30 AM
February 28, 2022
Room: 201B
Location: Anaheim Convention Center
Session Chair: Steven Naleway, The University of Utah; Hannes Schniepp, William and Mary
8:30 AM Invited
Lessons from Nature: Plants, Fish, Birds, and Mammals: Marc Meyers1; Haocheng Quan2; Audrey Velasco-Hogan1; Benjamin Lazarus1; Iwona Jasiuk3; Robert Ritchie4; 1University of California-San Diego; 2Institute for New Materials; 3U. of Illinois; 4UC Berkeley
We review our most recent observations on biological systems with having exciting characteristics. Four examples are highlighted: the reversible movement of pine cone scales; the active defense mechanisms of the Paraguay River armored catfish; the feathers of birds and their rectangular cross section; the laminated/tubular structure of the horse hoof. For each of these systems, we present the results of bioinspired designs and indicate a road to bioinspiration. Research funded by the National Science Foundation Grants 1926353 and 1926361 and Air Force Office of Scientific Research MURI (AFOSR-FA9550-15-1-0009).
9:05 AM
Bioinspiration of the Equine Hoof: Rachel Luu1; Benjamin Lazarus1; Charul Chadha2; Teresa Gómez-del Río3; Iwona Jasiuk2; Marc Meyers1; 1University of California, San Diego; 2University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; 3Universidad Rey Juan Carlos
The equine hoof was studied for inspiration in designing high impact resistant and compressive strength materials. Prior research in the hoof’s energy absorbent properties has spotlighted prominent structures in its assembly that have influenced our bioinspired designs. Equine hooves were first tested under drop tower and compression, using micro-computed tomography to quantify damage. Next, numerous models were designed with varying metrics regarding tubule reinforcement and tubule shape, size, and density gradients. Models were fabricated using multi-material additive manufacturing and their characterization provided a comprehensive understanding of how tubular and gradient features affect fracture. The bioinspired models were tested using drop tower, compact tension, and hopkinson bar, exhibiting behavior similar to the observed phenomena in the hoof. Findings regarding these bioinspired models provide insight into the complexity of the hoof structure. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation Mechanics of Materials and Structures Program (Grant Numbers 1926353 and 1926361).
9:25 AM
Properties, Mechanics, and Material Applications of Fungi: Debora Lyn Porter1; Alexander Bradshaw1; Ryan Nielsen1; Pania Newell1; Bryn Dentinger1; Steven Naleway1; 1University Of Utah
Fungi are an incredibly diverse biological kingdom, with more new species being discovered and studied every year. The current understanding of fungal biomechanics, including their material and structural properties is limited. A biomechanical study was completed on the highly pathogenic Armillaria ostoyae rhizomorphs to classify their structure and better understand the structural and chemical defenses used, which makes it difficult to control. Further work was done to study the microscopic hyphal structures of different fungi to relate these structures to measured mechanical properties. Further, these different fungi were used as templates to capture the mechanical benefits found in these biological samples and apply them in a novel material application. These initial studies of fungi demonstrate the feasibility of using these common, yet diverse organisms for both biological purposes, such as in the control of pathogenic fungi, and for bioinspired materials.
9:45 AM
Damage Control and Impact Resistance of the Jackfruit: Benjamin Lazarus1; Rachel Luu1; Ryan Fancher1; Charles Soulen1; Nicholas Boechler1; Marc Meyers1; 1UCSD
Many fruits, like coconuts and pomelos, have protective exteriors that are remarkably tough and protect the plant’s seeds from impact. However, the largest fruit in the world, the jackfruit, has remained untouched by the biological materials community despite the fact that it falls from up to 70 feet and has been reported to exceed 100lbs in weight. Here, we report on the structure and mechanical properties of this novel biological material. The jackfruit skin bears irregular hexagonal protrusions that control crack propagation and delocalize damage, while the fruit’s interior has a highly aligned porous structure. Compact tension, freefall, drop tower, and small particle gas gun impact tests illustrate these failure mechanisms and show how this unique configuration improves damage control for this enormous biological projectile. We believe that these design motifs can easily be transferred to engineered systems and can readily be adopted by additive manufacturing techniques.