J4 ›› 2012, Vol. 9 ›› Issue (3): 330-335.doi: 10.1016/S1672-6529(11)60129-7

• 论文 • 上一篇    下一篇

Numerical Study of the Mechanical Response of Turtle Shell

Wei Zhang1,3, Chengwei Wu1, Chenzhao Zhang1, Zhen Chen1,2   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Structural Analysis for Industrial Equipment, Faculty of Vehicle Engineering and Mechanics,
    Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China
    2. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211-2200, USA
    3. School of |Materials Science &|Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China
  • 出版日期:2012-09-30
  • 通讯作者: Chengwei Wu, Zhen Chen E-mail:cwwu@dlut.edu.cn, chenzh@missouri.edu

Numerical Study of the Mechanical Response of Turtle Shell

Wei Zhang1,3, Chengwei Wu1, Chenzhao Zhang1, Zhen Chen1,2   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Structural Analysis for Industrial Equipment, Faculty of Vehicle Engineering and Mechanics,
    Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China
    2. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211-2200, USA
    3. School of |Materials Science &|Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China
  • Online:2012-09-30
  • Contact: Chengwei Wu, Zhen Chen E-mail:cwwu@dlut.edu.cn, chenzh@missouri.edu

摘要:

The turtle shell is an amazing structure optimized through the long-term evolution by nature. This paper reports the mechanical response of the shell (Red-ear turtle) to static and dynamic loads, respectively. It is found that the turtle shell under a compressive load yields the maximum vertical displacement at the rear end, but the vertical displacement at the front end is only half of that at the rear end. The maximum horizontal displacement of the shell also occurs at the rear end. It is believed that such a deformation pattern is helpful for protecting the turtle’s internal organs and its head. The principal stress directions in the inside surface of the shell under a compressive load are almost the same as those of the biofiber distribution in the inside surface, which results in the strong bending resistance of the turtle shell.

关键词: biomaterial, turtle shell, mechanical response, static and dynamic loads

Abstract:

The turtle shell is an amazing structure optimized through the long-term evolution by nature. This paper reports the mechanical response of the shell (Red-ear turtle) to static and dynamic loads, respectively. It is found that the turtle shell under a compressive load yields the maximum vertical displacement at the rear end, but the vertical displacement at the front end is only half of that at the rear end. The maximum horizontal displacement of the shell also occurs at the rear end. It is believed that such a deformation pattern is helpful for protecting the turtle’s internal organs and its head. The principal stress directions in the inside surface of the shell under a compressive load are almost the same as those of the biofiber distribution in the inside surface, which results in the strong bending resistance of the turtle shell.

Key words: biomaterial, turtle shell, mechanical response, static and dynamic loads