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Related Concept Videos

Fatigue01:21

Fatigue

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Fatigue occurs when materials rupture under repeated or fluctuating loads, even at stress levels far below their static breaking strength. It typically results in brittle failure, even for ductile materials. It is a critical consideration in designing machines and structural components subjected to repetitive or varying loads. The nature of these loadings can range from fluctuating loads like unbalanced pump impellers causing vibrations to repeatedly bending a thin steel rod wire back and forth...
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Fractures: Bone Repair01:27

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Treatment for a fracture is based on the type of break, the bone affected, and the patient's age.
Minor fractures with no bone displacement are treated by immobilizing the fractured bone using a cast or splint. However, in the case of fractures with displaced bones, the broken bones are repositioned before immobilization to ensure successful healing without deformation and loss of function. The realignment of fractured bone ends is performed through a process called reduction. If the...
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Stress-Strain Diagram - Brittle Materials01:24

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Brittle materials, including glass, cast iron, and stone, exhibit unique characteristics. They fracture without considerable change in their elongation rate, indicating that their breaking and ultimate strength are equivalent. Such materials also show lower strain levels at the point of rupture. The failure in brittle materials predominantly results from normal stresses, as evidenced by the rupture created along a surface perpendicular to the applied load. These materials do not display...
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Yield Criteria for Ductile Materials under Plane Stress01:25

Yield Criteria for Ductile Materials under Plane Stress

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In designing structural elements and machine parts using ductile materials, it is crucial to ensure that these components withstand applied stresses without yielding. Yielding is initially determined through a tensile test, which evaluates the material's response to uniaxial stress. However, tensile stress is insufficient when components face biaxial or plane stress conditions This condition requires advanced criteria to predict failure.
The Maximum Shearing Stress Criterion, also known as...
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Microcracking in Concrete01:20

Microcracking in Concrete

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Microcracking in concrete refers to the tiny cracks that can form within the material even before any external load is applied. These microcracks typically occur at the interface between the coarse aggregate and the hydrated cement paste, often as a result of differential volume changes prompted by variations in stress-strain behavior, as well as thermal and moisture movement. Initially, these microcracks remain stable and do not grow substantially until the concrete is stressed to about 30...
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Mechanical fatigue fractures bivalve shells.

R L Crane1, M W Denny2

  • 1Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA rlcrane@stanford.edu.

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|May 29, 2020
PubMed
Summary

Mussel shells weaken over time from repeated or prolonged forces, not just single impacts. Shell strength and fatigue resistance depend on mass, width, and valve side, with duration being key, not cycle count.

Keywords:
Cyclic loadingFunctional morphologyMolluskMusselMytilus californianusStrength

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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Materials Science
  • Marine Biology

Background:

  • Mollusk shells serve as crucial armor against environmental and predatory physical threats.
  • Traditional shell strength testing quantifies resistance to single, high-magnitude forces, neglecting fatigue.
  • Fatigue, the weakening of materials under repeated or prolonged low-magnitude stress, is a critical but often overlooked factor in shell integrity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify the strength and fatigue resistance of California mussel (Mytilus californianus) shells.
  • To investigate the influence of cyclic and static loading on shell failure.
  • To determine the relationship between shell morphology and its resistance to fatigue.

Main Methods:

  • California mussel shells were subjected to fatigue testing until catastrophic failure.
  • Two loading methods were employed: repeated force application (cyclic) and constant force application (static).
  • Shell mass, width, and valve orientation were measured and correlated with strength and fatigue resistance.

Main Results:

  • Mussel shells demonstrated fatigue failure under both cyclic and static loading conditions.
  • More massive, wider shells, and right-hand valves exhibited greater strength and fatigue resistance.
  • Fatigue resistance curves for cyclic and static loading were similar, indicating force duration is more critical than the number of cycles.

Conclusions:

  • Shell fatigue is a significant factor contributing to shell failure in mussels, alongside static strength.
  • Understanding shell fatigue is essential for ecological studies of shelled organisms and the evolutionary biology of shell structures.
  • Fatigue resistance should be considered when assessing the long-term protective capabilities of mollusk shells against diverse natural threats.