Bioinspired fabrication and characterization of a synthetic fish skin for the protection of soft materials.
The scaled skin of fish is a high-performance natural armor that represents a source of inspiration for novel engineering designs. In this paper, we present a biomimetic fish skin material, fabricated with a design and components that are simple, that achieves many of the advantageous attributes of natural materials, including the unique combination of flexibility and mechanical robustness. The bioinspired fish skin material is designed to replicate the structural, mechanical, and functional aspects of a natural teleost fish skin comprised of leptoid-like scales, similar to that of the striped red mullet Mullus surmuletus. The man-made fish skin material consists of a low-modulus elastic mesh or "dermis" layer that holds rigid, plastic scales. The mechanics of the synthetic material is characterized under in-plane, bending, and indentation modes of deformation and is successfully described by theoretical deformation models that have been developed. This combined experimental and modeling approach elucidates the critical mechanisms by which the composite material achieves its unique properties and provides design rules that allow for the engineering of scaled skins. Such artificial scaled skins that are flexible, lightweight, transparent, and robust under mechanical deformation may thus have potential as thin protective coatings for soft materials.
†Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado, ECME 124, Campus Box 428, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States.
Natasha
N
Funk
‡Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado, C123 JSC Biotech Building, Campus Box 596, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States.
Marc
M
Vera
§Department of Mechanical Engineering, McGill University, Macdonald Engineering Building, 817 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0C3, Canada.
Lawrence J
LJ
Szewciw
§Department of Mechanical Engineering, McGill University, Macdonald Engineering Building, 817 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0C3, Canada.
Francois
F
Barthelat
‡Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado, C123 JSC Biotech Building, Campus Box 596, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States.
Mark P
MP
Stoykovich
†Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado, ECME 124, Campus Box 428, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States.
Franck J
FJ
Vernerey
D000818:Animals; D040761:Biomimetic Materials / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D019245:Compressive Strength; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D005399:Fishes; D006244:Hardness; D008422:Materials Testing; D017768:Skin, Artificial; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013718:Tensile Strength
biomechanics; biomimetic materials; fish skin; scales; thin films