About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Biological Materials Science
|
| Presentation Title |
Microstructural Characterization and Mechanical Behavior of the Nine Banded Armadillo |
| Author(s) |
Dhruv Patel, Eshan Ganju, Nikhilesh Chawla |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Dhruv Patel |
| Abstract Scope |
The Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) is a small mammal native to the Southern United States, Central, and South America. The success of the animal across various biomes is partly due to its structurally complex shell, which offers protection from predators while preserving mobility. Previous studies have focused on bulk mechanical properties, with little attention to individual osteoderms. As a result, understanding of osteoderm microstructure and its effect on mechanical behavior is limited. In this talk we describe work on x-ray microtomography to understand the 3D microstructure of the armadillo shell, enabling detailed analysis of structural complexity. These scans allowed quantification of porosity, thickness, and volume across osteoderms, revealing fluctuations based on position and which improved our understanding of shell mechanics. Nanoindentation studies were correlated with microstructural analysis. The implications of these parameter trends for shell behavior and function will be discussed. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Characterization, Mechanical Properties, |