scholarly journals Deformation micromechanisms of collagen fibrils under uniaxial tension

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (46) ◽  
pp. 839-850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuye Tang ◽  
Roberto Ballarini ◽  
Markus J. Buehler ◽  
Steven J. Eppell

Collagen, an essential building block of connective tissues, possesses useful mechanical properties due to its hierarchical structure. However, little is known about the mechanical properties of collagen fibril, an intermediate structure between the collagen molecule and connective tissue. Here, we report the results of systematic molecular dynamics simulations to probe the mechanical response of initially unflawed finite size collagen fibrils subjected to uniaxial tension. The observed deformation mechanisms, associated with rupture and sliding of tropocollagen molecules, are strongly influenced by fibril length, width and cross-linking density. Fibrils containing more than approximately 10 molecules along their length and across their width behave as representative volume elements and exhibit brittle fracture. Shorter fibrils experience a more graceful ductile-like failure. An analytical model is constructed and the results of the molecular modelling are used to find curve-fitted expressions for yield stress, yield strain and fracture strain as functions of fibril structural parameters. Our results for the first time elucidate the size dependence of mechanical failure properties of collagen fibrils. The associated molecular deformation mechanisms allow the full power of traditional material and structural engineering theory to be applied to our understanding of the normal and pathological mechanical behaviours of collagenous tissues under load.

2013 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles D. Wood ◽  
Marc J. Palmeri ◽  
Karl W. Putz ◽  
Zhi An ◽  
SonBinh T. Nguyen ◽  
...  

The mechanical properties of graphene oxide papers have attracted significant attention in recent years due to their high stiffness and tough behavior. While the structural feature most commonly characterized is the nanosheet spacing, there is a hierarchical structure, which is likely responsible for the impressive mechanical properties. In this paper, we examine the structure of graphene oxide papers on several length scales using novel techniques to distinguish between lamellae and a newly defined feature, termed “super-lamellae.” The differentiation between these intermediate features provides context to the previously observed mechanical response and fracture surfaces of graphene oxide papers, particularly under uniaxial tension.


2016 ◽  
Vol 683 ◽  
pp. 601-608
Author(s):  
Igor S. Konovalenko ◽  
Egor M. Vodopjyanov ◽  
Evgenii V. Shilko

Deformation, fracture and effective mechanical properties of sintered ceramics composite under uniaxial compression were studied. To perform this investigation the plain numerical model of ceramics composites based on oxides of zirconium and aluminum with different structural parameters was developed. The model construction was carried out within the frame of particle based method, namely the movable cellular automaton method (MCA). The implementation of the phase transition in the MCA-model composite was carried out on the basis of the phenomenological approach, the main point of which was the formulation of the principle of irreversible mechanical behavior of the material. Increase the fracture toughness of ceramics after (T-M) transition in its structure was realized in the model by introducing transition kinetics of the automata pair from "bound" to an "unbound" state. The structure of model composite was generated on the basis of scanning electron microscope images of micro-sections of real composite. The influence of such structural parameters as geometrical dimensions of layers, inclusions, and their spatial distribution in the sample, volume content of the composite components and their mechanical properties, as well as the amount of zirconium dioxide undergone the phase transformation on the mechanical response were investigated


Metals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Lian ◽  
Li Hu ◽  
Tao Zhou ◽  
Mingbo Yang ◽  
Jin Zhang

Uniaxial tension and compression of AZ31 magnesium alloy were numerically investigated via the viscoplastic self-consistent (VPSC) model to shed a light on the effect of secondary deformation mechanisms (prismatic <a> slip, pyramidal <c+a> slip, and { 10 1 ¯ 1 } contraction twinning) during plastic deformation. The method adopted in the present study used different combinations of deformation mechanisms in the VPSC modeling. In terms of the pyramidal <c+a> slip, it served as the first candidate for sustaining the extra plastic strain during the plastic deformation. The improvement of activity in the pyramidal <c+a> slip contributed to the increase in the mechanical response and the splitting of pole densities in { 0002 } pole figure during uniaxial tension. As for the prismatic <a> slip, its increasing activity was not only conducive to the improvement of flow stress in mechanical response, but also responsible for the splitting of pole densities in { 0002 } pole figure during uniaxial compression. With respect to the { 10 1 ¯ 1 } contraction twinning, it had a negligible influence on the plastic deformation of AZ31 magnesium alloy in terms of the mechanical response as well as the slip and the twinning activities. However, it is better to include the { 10 1 ¯ 1 } contraction twinning in the VPSC modeling to more accurately predict the texture evolution.


2018 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karina A. Krylova ◽  
Rita I. Babicheva ◽  
Kun Zhou ◽  
Alexey M. Bubenchikov ◽  
Evgenii G. Ekomasov ◽  
...  

Abstract Molecular dynamics is applied to study the effect of crystallographic orientation on the plastic deformation mechanisms and mechanical properties of NiAl intermetallic nanofilms subjected to uniaxial tension. It is observed that the deformation mechanisms qualitatively depend on the crystallographic orientation of the nanofilms with respect to the loading direction. Plastic deformation of the nanofilms along [557] crystallographic direction is associated with the edge dislocation sliding in the slip system [001](110). As for the nanofilms stretched along [554] and [111] directions, their deformation occurs first through the dislocation sliding followed by the formation of (112)[11 1] twins. Uniaxial tension of the nanofilms along [559] and [55 11] leads to the nucleation and growth of a martensitic phase followed by their rupture along an interface. The maximum (minimum) strength of 9.9 (7.0) GPa is observed for the nanofilms stretched along the [559] ([554]) crystallographic direction, while the largest (smallest) strain to failure of 27 (15)% is for [559] ([55 11]). Various deformation mechanisms of the nanofilms are explained through computing the Schmid factor for the operational slip system. The results indicate that the crystallographic orientation is among the key parameters controlling the deformation mechanisms and mechanical properties of intermetallic nanofilms.


2012 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 951-974 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrzej Nowakowski ◽  
Mariusz Młynarczuk

Abstract Temperature is one of the basic factors influencing physical and structural properties of rocks. A quantitative and qualitative description of this influence becomes essential in underground construction and, in particular, in the construction of various underground storage facilities, including nuclear waste repositories. The present paper discusses the effects of temperature changes on selected mechanical and structural parameters of the Strzelin granites. Its authors focused on analyzing the changes of granite properties that accompany rapid temperature changes, for temperatures lower than 573ºC, which is the value at which the β - α phase transition in quartz occurs. Some of the criteria for selecting the temperature range were the results of measurements carried out at nuclear waste repositories. It was demonstrated that, as a result of the adopted procedure of heating and cooling of samples, the examined rock starts to reveal measurable structural changes, which, in turn, induces vital changes of its selected mechanical properties. In particular, it was shown that one of the quantities describing the structure of the rock - namely, the fracture network - grew significantly. As a consequence, vital changes could be observed in the following physical quantities characterizing the rock: primary wave velocity (vp), permeability coefficient (k), total porosity (n) and fracture porosity (η), limit of compressive strength (Rσ1) and the accompanying deformation (Rε1), Young’s modulus (E), and Poisson’s ratio (ν).


Nanoscale ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weijian Fang ◽  
Hang Ping ◽  
Wolfgang Wagermaier ◽  
Shenbao Jin ◽  
Shahrouz Amini ◽  
...  

Collagen fibrils present periodic structures, which provide space for intrafibrillar growth of oriented hydroxyapatite nanocrystals in bone and contribute to the good mechanical properties of bone. However, there are not...


Metals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1041
Author(s):  
Eliseo Hernandez-Duran ◽  
Luca Corallo ◽  
Tanya Ros-Yanez ◽  
Felipe Castro-Cerda ◽  
Roumen H. Petrov

This study focuses on the effect of non-conventional annealing strategies on the microstructure and related mechanical properties of austempered steels. Multistep thermo-cycling (TC) and ultrafast heating (UFH) annealing were carried out and compared with the outcome obtained from a conventionally annealed (CA) 0.3C-2Mn-1.5Si steel. After the annealing path, steel samples were fast cooled and isothermally treated at 400 °C employing the same parameters. It was found that TC and UFH strategies produce an equivalent level of microstructural refinement. Nevertheless, the obtained microstructure via TC has not led to an improvement in the mechanical properties in comparison with the CA steel. On the other hand, the steel grade produced via a combination of ultrafast heating annealing and austempering exhibits enhanced ductility without decreasing the strength level with respect to TC and CA, giving the best strength–ductility balance among the studied steels. The outstanding mechanical response exhibited by the UFH steel is related to the formation of heterogeneous distribution of ferrite, bainite and retained austenite in proportions 0.09–0.78–0.14. The microstructural formation after UFH is discussed in terms of chemical heterogeneities in the parent austenite.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 70
Author(s):  
Marco Ferroni ◽  
Beatrice Belgio ◽  
Giuseppe M. Peretti ◽  
Alessia Di Giancamillo ◽  
Federica Boschetti

The menisci of the knee are complex fibro-cartilaginous tissues that play important roles in load bearing, shock absorption, joint lubrication, and stabilization. The objective of this study was to evaluate the interaction between the different meniscal tissue components (i.e., the solid matrix constituents and the fluid phase) and the mechanical response according to the developmental stage of the tissue. Menisci derived from partially and fully developed pigs were analyzed. We carried out biochemical analyses to quantify glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and DNA content according to the developmental stage. These values were related to tissue mechanical properties that were measured in vitro by performing compression and tension tests on meniscal specimens. Both compression and tension protocols consisted of multi-ramp stress–relaxation tests comprised of increasing strains followed by stress–relaxation to equilibrium. To better understand the mechanical response to different directions of mechanical stimulus and to relate it to the tissue structural composition and development, we performed numerical simulations that implemented different constitutive models (poro-elasticity, viscoelasticity, transversal isotropy, or combinations of the above) using the commercial software COMSOL Multiphysics. The numerical models also allowed us to determine several mechanical parameters that cannot be directly measured by experimental tests. The results of our investigation showed that the meniscus is a non-linear, anisotropic, non-homogeneous material: mechanical parameters increase with strain, depend on the direction of load, and vary among regions (anterior, central, and posterior). Preliminary numerical results showed the predominant role of the different tissue components depending on the mechanical stimulus. The outcomes of biochemical analyses related to mechanical properties confirmed the findings of the numerical models, suggesting a specific response of meniscal cells to the regional mechanical stimuli in the knee joint. During maturation, the increase in compressive moduli could be explained by cell differentiation from fibroblasts to metabolically active chondrocytes, as indicated by the found increase in GAG/DNA ratio. The changes of tensile mechanical response during development could be related to collagen II accumulation during growth. This study provides new information on the changes of tissue structural components during maturation and the relationship between tissue composition and mechanical response.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document