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Interfacial toughening effect of suture structures.

Zengqian Liu1, Zhefeng Zhang1, Robert O Ritchie2

  • 1Laboratory of Fatigue and Fracture for Materials, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China; School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.

Acta Biomaterialia
|November 23, 2019
PubMed
Summary

Suture interfaces in nature prevent cracks from spreading by deflecting them, enhancing material toughness. This study models how tooth sharpness and hierarchy influence this crack-excluding toughening effect.

Keywords:
CrackHierarchyInterfaceSutureToughening

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Biomechanics
  • Fracture Mechanics

Background:

  • Suture interfaces are common in natural materials, providing flexibility and connectivity.
  • Understanding their role in fracture mechanics, especially crack interaction, is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To reveal the interfacial toughening effect of suture structures.
  • To model crack deflection and penetration at suture interfaces.
  • To establish criteria for cracking modes and fracture resistance.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a dimensionless micro-mechanical model for single-leveled and hierarchical suture interfaces.
  • Formulated stress-intensity driving forces for crack deflection and penetration.
  • Analyzed effects of sutural tooth sharpness and structural hierarchy.

Main Results:

  • Suture structures exhibit an interfacial toughening effect by excluding cracks.
  • Quantitative criteria were established for determining cracking modes and fracture resistance.
  • Structural hierarchy, including fractal-like geometries, was shown to influence toughening.

Conclusions:

  • Suture interfaces actively toughen materials by deflecting cracks.
  • Tooth sharpness and hierarchical design are key factors in this toughening mechanism.
  • Findings can guide the design of bioinspired toughened materials.