Thickness-dependent mechanical properties of nacre in Cristaria plicata shell: Critical role of interfaces

doi:10.1016/j.jmst.2019.10.039

Abstract

Abstract:

The thickness dependence of mechanical properties of nacre in Cristaria plicata shell was studied under three-point bending tests. The results show that the mechanical behavior of nacre exhibits a strong thickness dependence. The bending strength firstly increases with the increase of specimen thickness and then becomes roughly constant as the thickness reaches a certain value of ~2.5 mm. However, the mean value of work per unit volume increases constantly with increasing specimen thickness; meanwhile, the cracking mode changes from penetration into the platelets to deflection along the interfaces. The theoretical analyses indicate that the thickness-dependent mechanical properties of nacre are mainly caused by the variation in the number of inter-lamellar interfaces. The more the number of inter-lamellar interfaces is, the higher the strength and work of fracture of nacre under bending tests will be. However, as the number of inter-lamellar interfaces reaches a certain value (e.g., in the present specimen with 2.5 mm thickness), the strength tends to remain constant, while the work of fracture still increases. Therefore, the present research findings are expected to provide a valuable guidance for the interfacial design of nacre-like materials with high strength and toughness.

Key words: Cristaria plicata shell, Nacre, Mechanical property, Thickness, Interface

S.M. Liang, H.M. Ji, X.W. Li. Thickness-dependent mechanical properties of nacre in Cristaria plicata shell: Critical role of interfaces[J]. J. Mater. Sci. Technol., 2020, 44: 1-8.

Figures/Tables 6

Fig. 1. (a) Overall view of the C. plicata shell, and SEM morphologies on the etched cross-section (b) with its magnified image (c).

Fig. 2. The representative stress-strain curves of specimens with h = 0.5 mm (a), 2.0 mm (b), 3.0 mm (c), and the Weibull plots of bending strengths (d) and the variations in the bending strength and work per unit volume with the specimen thickness (e) in C. plicata shell under three-point bending tests.

Fig. 3. The typical morphologies of failed specimens (left column) and the corresponding schematic drawings of cracking paths (right column) in specimens with h = 0.5 mm (a), 2.0 mm (b), 3.0 mm (c) after three-point bending tests of C. plicata shell.

Fig. 4. SEM micrographs of fracture surfaces of specimens with h = 0.5 mm (a-c), 2.0 mm (d-f), 3.0 mm (g-i) after three-point bending tests of C. plicata shell.

Fig. 5. The sketch maps of three-point bending test (a), the occurrence of micro-cracking in process zone (b), the normal stress on a section of beam-like specimens under three-point bending tests (c), and the relationship curve between the percentage (Y) and the reciprocal of applied load (1/P) (d).

Fig. 6. The schematic diagrams of cracking modes in thinner (a) and thicker (b) specimens under tensile stress. Note that the red platelets are stressed under double edge notched tension, and the white ones are stressed in a single edge notched state under tension.

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