Failure of viral shells.
We report a combined theoretical and experimental study of the structural failure of viral shells under mechanical stress. We find that discontinuities in the force-indentation curve associated with failure should appear when the so-called Föppl-von Kármán (FvK) number exceeds a critical value. A nanoindentation study of a viral shell subject to a soft-mode instability, where the stiffness of the shell decreases with increasing pH, confirms the predicted onset of failure as a function of the FvK number.
Klug
William S
WS
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
Bruinsma
Robijn F
RF
Michel
Jean-Philippe
JP
Knobler
Charles M
CM
Ivanovska
Irena L
IL
Schmidt
Christoph F
CF
Wuite
Gijs J L
GJ
D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D055592:Biophysical Phenomena; D001703:Biophysics; D017795:Bromovirus / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002213:Capsid / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004548:Elasticity; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008954:Models, Biological; D013314:Stress, Mechanical