Li Yaning, Ortiz Christine, Boyce Mary C
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys. 2011 Dec;84(6 Pt 1):062904. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.84.062904. Epub 2011 Dec 29.
Suture joints are remarkable mechanical structures found throughout nature composed of compliant interlocking seams connecting stiffer components. This study investigates the underlying mechanisms and the role of geometry governing the unique mechanical behavior of suture joints. Analytical and numerical composite models are formulated for two suture geometries characterized by a single repeating wavelength (e.g., triangular and rectangular). Stiffness, strength, and local stress distributions are predicted to assess variations in deformation and failure mechanisms. A unique homogeneous stress field is observed throughout both the skeletal and interfacial components of the triangular geometry, thus providing advantages in load transmission, weight, stiffness, strength, energy absorption, and fatigue over the rectangular geometry. The results obtained have relevance to biomimetic design and optimization, suture growth and fusion, and evolutionary phenotype diversity.
缝合关节是自然界中发现的非凡机械结构，由连接较硬部件的柔顺互锁接缝组成。本研究调查了控制缝合关节独特力学行为的潜在机制和几何形状的作用。针对两种以单一重复波长为特征的缝合几何形状（例如三角形和矩形）建立了分析和数值复合模型。预测了刚度、强度和局部应力分布，以评估变形和破坏机制的变化。在三角形几何形状的骨骼和界面部件中都观察到了独特的均匀应力场，因此在载荷传递、重量、刚度、强度、能量吸收和疲劳方面比矩形几何形状具有优势。所得结果与仿生设计和优化、缝合生长和融合以及进化表型多样性相关。
