Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2022
Journal Title
Biomimetics
Volume Number
7
Issue Number
2
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics7020082
Version
Publisher PDF: the final published version of the article, with professional formatting and typesetting
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a CC BY License.
Disciplines
Engineering
Abstract
Many animals have protective anatomical structures that allow for growth and flexibility; these structures contain thin seams called sutures that help the structure to absorb impacts. In this study, we parameterized the stiffness and toughness of a curved archway structure based on three geometric properties of a suture through finite element, quasi-static, three-point bending simulations. Each archway consisted of two symmetric pieces linked by a dovetail suture tab design. The three parameters included suture tab radii (1–5 mm), tangent lengths (0–20 mm), and contact angles (0–40◦). In the simulations, a steel indenter was displaced 6.5 mm to induce progressive tab disengagement. Sutures with large contact angles and large tangent lengths generally led to stiffer and tougher structures. Sutures with a small tab radius exhibited the most sensitivity to the input parameters, and the smallest tab radius led to the stiffest and toughest archways. Results suggested that it was a combination of the largest number of tab repeats with the largest possible contact surface area that improved the mechanical response of the archway. The study revealed several suture geometries that hold significant promise, which can aid in the development of hemispherical 3D structures for dynamic impact applications.
Digital USD Citation
Gibbons, Melissa M. and Chen, Diana A., "Bio-Inspired Sutures: Using Finite Element Analysis to Parameterize the Mechanical Response of Dovetail Sutures in Simulated Bending of a Curved Structure" (2022). School of Engineering: Faculty Scholarship. 59.
https://digital.sandiego.edu/engineering_facpub/59