Branching toughens fibrous networks

Fibrous collagenous networks are not only stiff but also tough, due to their complex microstructures. This stiff yet tough behavior is desirable for both medical and military applications but it is difficult to reproduce in engineering materials. While the nonlinear hyperelastic behavior of fibrous...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the mechanical behavior of biomedical materials 2012-08, Vol.12, p.74-82
Main Authors: Koh, C.T., Oyen, M.L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biocompatible Materials - chemistry
Biomechanical Phenomena
Branching
Bundles
Collagen
Collagen - chemistry
Collagen Type I - chemistry
Computer Simulation
Cross-Linking Reagents - chemistry
Cross-links
Crosslinking
Density
Elasticity
Fibrous networks
Finite Element Analysis
Fracture
Humans
Hyperelastic
Kinks
Long fibers
Materials Testing
Microstructure
Models, Chemical
Models, Statistical
Networks
Pressure
Shear Strength
Software
Stiffness
Stress, Mechanical
Toughness
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Fibrous collagenous networks are not only stiff but also tough, due to their complex microstructures. This stiff yet tough behavior is desirable for both medical and military applications but it is difficult to reproduce in engineering materials. While the nonlinear hyperelastic behavior of fibrous networks has been extensively studied, the understanding of toughness is still incomplete. Here, we identify a microstructure mimicking the branched bundles of a natural type I collagen network, in which partially cross-linked long fibers give rise to novel combinations of stiffness and toughness. Finite element analysis shows that the stiffness of fully cross-linked fibrous networks is amplified by increasing the fibril length and cross-link density. However, a trade-off of such stiff networks is reduced toughness. By having partially cross-linked networks with long fibrils, the networks have comparable stiffness and improved toughness as compared to the fully cross-linked networks. Further, the partially cross-linked networks avoid the formation of kinks, which cause fibril rupture during deformation. As a result, the branching allows the networks to have stiff yet tough behavior.
ISSN:1751-6161
1878-0180
DOI:10.1016/j.jmbbm.2012.03.011