Abstract

Marine shells are designed by nature to ensure mechanical protection from predators and shelter for molluscs living inside them. A large amount of work has been done to study the multiscale mechanical properties of their complex microstructure and to draw inspiration for the design of impact-resistant biomimetic materials. Less is known regarding the dynamic behaviour related to their structure at multiple scales. Here, we present a combined experimental and numerical study of the shells of two different species of gastropod sea snail belonging to the Turritellidae family, featuring a peculiar helicoconic shape with hierarchical spiral elements. The proposed procedure involves the use of micro-computed tomography scans for the accurate determination of geometry, atomic force microscopy and nanoindentation to evaluate local mechanical properties, surface morphology and heterogeneity, as well as resonant ultrasound spectroscopy coupled with finite element analysis simulations to determine global modal behaviour. Results indicate that the specific features of the considered shells, in particular their helicoconic and hierarchical structure, can also be linked to their vibration attenuation behaviour. Moreover, the proposed investigation method can be extended to the study of other natural systems, to determine their structure-related dynamic properties, ultimately aiding the design of bioinspired metamaterials and of structures with advanced vibration control.

Keywords

impact-resistant structures; dynamic properties; bioinspired materials

Published in

JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY INTERFACE
2023, Volume: 20, number: 205, article number: 20230321
Publisher: ROYAL SOC

SLU Authors

• Greco, Gabriele

  • Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • University of Trento

UKÄ Subject classification

Applied Mechanics
Biophysics


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2023.0321

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/123712