Scaling of bird wings and feathers for efficient flight.

Aves are an incredibly diverse class of animals, ranging greatly in size and thriving in a wide variety of environments. Here, we explore the scaling trends of bird wings in connection with their flight performance. The tensile strength of avian bone is hypothesized to be a limiting factor in scaling the humerus with mass, which is corroborated by its experimentally determined allometric scaling trend. We provide a mechanics analysis that explains the scaling allometry of the wing humerus length, L H, with body weight W, L H ∝ W 0.44. Lastly, wing feathers are demonstrated to generally scale isometrically with bird mass, with the exception of the spacing between barbules, which falls within the same range for birds of all masses. Our findings provide insight into the "design" of birds and may be translatable to more efficient bird-inspired aircraft structures.

High-velocity deformation of Al0.3CoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy: Remarkable resistance to shear failure.

The mechanical behavior of a single phase (fcc) Al0.3CoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) was studied in the low and high strain-rate regimes. The combination of multiple strengthening mechanisms such as solid solution hardening, forest dislocation hardening, as well as mechanical twinning leads to a high work hardening rate, which is significantly larger than that for Al and is retained in the dynamic regime. The resistance to shear localization was studied by dynamically-loading hat-shaped specimens to induce forced shear localization. However, no adiabatic shear band could be observed. It is therefore proposed that the excellent strain hardening ability gives rise to remarkable resistance to shear localization, which makes this material an excellent candidate for penetration protection applications such as armors.

Reinforcements in avian wing bones: Experiments, analysis, and modeling.

Almost all species of modern birds are capable of flight; the mechanical competency of their wings and the rigidity of their skeletal system evolved to enable this outstanding feat. One of the most interesting examples of structural adaptation in birds is the internal structure of their wing bones. In flying birds, bones need to be sufficiently strong and stiff to withstand forces during takeoff, flight, and landing, with a minimum of weight. The cross-sectional morphology and presence of reinforcing structures (struts and ridges) found within bird wing bones vary from species to species, depending on how the wings are utilized. It is shown that both morphology and internal features increases the resistance to flexure and torsion with a minimum weight penalty. Prototypes of reinforcing struts fabricated by 3D printing were tested in diametral compression and torsion to validate the concept. In compression, the ovalization decreased through the insertion of struts, while they had no effect on torsional resistance. An elastic model of a circular ring reinforced by horizontal and vertical struts is developed to explain the compressive stiffening response of the ring caused by differently oriented struts.

Supersonic Dislocation Bursts in Silicon.

Dislocations are the primary agents of permanent deformation in crystalline solids. Since the theoretical prediction of supersonic dislocations over half a century ago, there is a dearth of experimental evidence supporting their existence. Here we use non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations of shocked silicon to reveal transient supersonic partial dislocation motion at approximately 15 km/s, faster than any previous in-silico observation. Homogeneous dislocation nucleation occurs near the shock front and supersonic dislocation motion lasts just fractions of picoseconds before the dislocations catch the shock front and decelerate back to the elastic wave speed. Applying a modified analytical equation for dislocation evolution we successfully predict a dislocation density of 1.5 × 10(12) cm(-2) within the shocked volume, in agreement with the present simulations and realistic in regards to prior and on-going recovery experiments in silicon.

Structure and mechanical properties of naturally occurring lightweight foam-filled cylinder--the peacock's tail coverts shaft and its components.

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.

Probing the character of ultra-fast dislocations.

Plasticity is often controlled by dislocation motion, which was first measured for low pressure, low strain rate conditions decades ago. However, many applications require knowledge of dislocation motion at high stress conditions where the data are sparse, and come from indirect measurements dominated by the effect of dislocation density rather than velocity. Here we make predictions based on atomistic simulations that form the basis for a new approach to measure dislocation velocities directly at extreme conditions using three steps: create prismatic dislocation loops in a near-surface region using nanoindentation, drive the dislocations with a shockwave, and use electron microscopy to determine how far the dislocations moved and thus their velocity at extreme stress and strain rate conditions. We report on atomistic simulations of tantalum that make detailed predictions of dislocation flow, and find that the approach is feasible and can uncover an exciting range of phenomena, such as transonic dislocations and a novel form of loop stretching. The simulated configuration enables a new class of experiments to probe average dislocation velocity at very high applied shear stress.

Phase Transformation in Tantalum under Extreme Laser Deformation.

The structural and mechanical response of metals is intimately connected to phase transformations. For instance, the product of a phase transformation (martensite) is responsible for the extraordinary range of strength and toughness of steel, making it a versatile and important structural material. Although abundant in metals and alloys, the discovery of new phase transformations is not currently a common event and often requires a mix of experimentation, predictive computations, and luck. High-energy pulsed lasers enable the exploration of extreme pressures and temperatures, where such discoveries may lie. The formation of a hexagonal (omega) phase was observed in recovered monocrystalline body-centered cubic tantalum of four crystallographic orientations subjected to an extreme regime of pressure, temperature, and strain-rate. This was accomplished using high-energy pulsed lasers. The omega phase and twinning were identified by transmission electron microscopy at 70 GPa (determined by a corresponding VISAR experiment). It is proposed that the shear stresses generated by the uniaxial strain state of shock compression play an essential role in the transformation. Molecular dynamics simulations show the transformation of small nodules from body-centered cubic to a hexagonal close-packed structure under the same stress state (pressure and shear).

Representation of the black elderly in Detroit metropolitan nursing homes.

This paper presents the results of an analysis of the distribution of black elderly patients in the long-term care systems of Detroit City, Wayne, and Oakland counties, Michigan. These areas were chosen because of their proximity to Wayne State University and because Detroit has a large black population. Wayne and Oakland counties are largely suburban areas. Black, long-term care utilization was compared with the black elderly representation of the base population in these three locations. The sex-specific distribution between whites and blacks in long-term care populations revealed that black men utilized the greatest amount of long-term care and were more dependent on Medicaid. One hundred twenty-one licensed nursing homes were contacted by telephone and a follow-up questionnaire was sent to the respondents during the five-month study périod.It has been observed nationally that the elderly black population is underrepresented in the long-term care system. The findings obtained in this study, however, are not in agreement with the national trend. In Detroit, the black elderly are represented in nursing homes in approximate proportion to their representation in the larger community.This analysis raises questions of need vs utilization of long-term care by the black elderly in urban areas. This is the first study of black elderly long-term care representation in a specific urban area in the United States.

Correlation of the mechanical and structural properties of cortical rachis keratin of rectrices of the Toco Toucan (Ramphastos toco).

Mechanical characterization of the cortex of rectrices (tail feathers) of the Toco Toucan (Ramphastos toco) has been carried out by tensile testing of the rachis cortex in order to systematically determine Young's modulus and maximum tensile strength gradients on the surfaces and along the length of the feather. Of over seventy-five samples tested, the average Young's modulus was found to be 2.56±0.09 GPa, and maximum tensile strength was found to be 78±6 MPa. The Weibull modulus for all sets is greater than one and less than four, indicating that measured strength is highly variable. The highest Weibull moduli were reported for dorsal samplings. Dorsal and ventral surfaces of the cortex are both significantly stiffer and stronger than lateral rachis cortex. On the dorsal surface, cortex sampled from the distal end of the feather was found to be least stiff and weakest compared to that sampled from proximal and middle regions along the length of the feather. Distinctive fracture patterns correspond to failure in the superficial cuticle layer and the bulk of the rachis cortex. In the cuticle, where supramolecular keratinous fibers are oriented tangentially, evidence of ductile tearing was observed. In the bulk cortex, where the fibers are bundled and oriented longitudinally, patterns suggestive of near-periodic aggregation and brittle failure were observed.

Structure and mechanical properties of Saxidomus purpuratus biological shells.

The strength and fracture behavior of Saxidomus purpuratus shells were investigated and correlated with the structure. The shells show a crossed lamellar structure in the inner and middle layers and a fibrous/blocky and porous structure composed of nanoscaled particulates (~100 nm diameter) in the outer layer. It was found that the flexure strength and fracture mode are a function of lamellar organization and orientation. The crossed lamellar structure of this shell is composed of domains of parallel lamellae with approximate thickness of 200-600 nm. These domains have approximate lateral dimensions of 10-70 µm with a minimum of two orientations of lamellae in the inner and middle layers. Neighboring domains are oriented at specific angles and thus the structure forms a crossed lamellar pattern. The microhardness across the thickness was lower in the outer layer because of the porosity and the absence of lamellae. The tensile (from flexure tests) and compressive strengths were analyzed by means of Weibull statistics. The mean tensile (flexure) strength at probability of 50%, 80-105 MPa, is on the same order as the compressive strength (~50-150 MPa) and the Weibull moduli vary from 3.0 to 7.6. These values are significantly lower than abalone nacre, in spite of having the same aragonite structure. The lower strength can be attributed to a smaller fraction of the organic interlayer. The fracture path in the specimens is dominated by the orientation of the domains and proceeds preferentially along lamella boundaries. It also correlates with the color changes in the cross section of the shell. The cracks tend to undergo a considerable change in orientation when the color changes abruptly. The distributions of strengths, cracking paths, and fracture surfaces indicate that the mechanical properties of the shell are anisotropic with a hierarchical nature.

The strength of single crystal copper under uniaxial shock compression at 100 GPa.

In situ x-ray diffraction has been used to measure the shear strain (and thus strength) of single crystal copper shocked to 100 GPa pressures at strain rates over two orders of magnitude higher than those achieved previously. For shocks in the [001] direction there is a significant associated shear strain, while shocks in the [111] direction give negligible shear strain. We infer, using molecular dynamics simulations and VISAR (standing for 'velocity interferometer system for any reflector') measurements, that the strength of the material increases dramatically (to approximately 1 GPa) for these extreme strain rates.