Cymbiola nobilis shell: Toughening mechanisms in a crossed-lamellar structure

Natural structural materials with intricate hierarchical architectures over several length scales exhibit excellent combinations of strength and toughness. Here we report the mechanical response of a crossed-lamellar structure in Cymbiola nobilis shell via stepwise compression tests, focusing on toughening mechanisms. At the lower loads microcracking is developed in the stacked direction, and channel cracking along with uncracked-ligament bridging and aragonite fiber bridging occurs in the tiled direction. At the higher loads the main mechanisms involve cracking deflection in the bridging lamellae in the tiled direction alongside step-like cracking in the stacked direction. A distinctive crack deflection in the form of "convex" paths occurs in alternative lamellae with respect to the channel cracks in the tiled direction. Furthermore, a barb-like interlocking mechanism along with the uneven interfaces in the 1st-order aragonite lamellae is also observed. The unique arrangement of the crossed-lamellar structure provides multiple interfaces which result in a complicated stress field ahead of the crack tip, hence increasing the toughness of shell.