title: Structure and mechanical properties of naturally occurring lightweight foam-filled cylinder--the peacock's tail coverts shaft and its components.
abstract: Feather shaft, which is primarily featured by a cylinder filled with foam, possesses a unique combination of mechanical robustness and flexibility with a low density through natural evolution and selection. Here the hierarchical structures of peacock's tail coverts shaft and its components are systematically characterized from millimeter to nanometer length scales. The variations in constituent and geometry along the length are examined. The mechanical properties under both dry and wet conditions are investigated. The deformation and failure behaviors and involved strengthening, stiffening and toughening mechanisms are analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively and correlated to the structures. It is revealed that the properties of feather shaft and its components have been optimized through various structural adaptations. Synergetic strengthening and stiffening effects can be achieved in overall rachis owing to increased failure resistance. This study is expected to aid in deeper understandings on the ingenious structure-property design strategies developed by nature, and accordingly, provide useful inspiration for the development of high-performance synthetic foams and foam-filled materials.
authors: Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China. Electronic address: liuzq@imr.ac.cn.
authors: Z Q
authors: ZQ
authors: Liu
authors: Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China.
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Jiao
authors: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
authors: M A
authors: MA
authors: Meyers
authors: Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China. Electronic address: zhfzhang@imr.ac.cn.
authors: Z F
authors: ZF
authors: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D019245:Compressive Strength; D004548:Elasticity; D005241:Feathers / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D046094:Galliformes; D008297:Male; D008422:Materials Testing; D016062:Porosity; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013718:Tensile Strength
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials
keywords: Biological materials; Buckling; Feather shaft; Hierarchical structure; Mechanical properties