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Why is nacre strong? Elastic theory and fracture mechanics for biocomposites with stratified structures

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Abstract:

Nacre, stratified ceramic layers surrounded by organic matrix, is a tough material found inside certain seashells. We construct a coarse-grained elastic energy for such an anisotropic system and present an analytic solution for a notch crack normal to the stratified sheets. This analysis proves the reduction in stress concentration which was announced in our earlier work (P. G. de Gennes and K. Okumura, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris 1, Ser. IV, 257 (2000)) and the related increase in toughness.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physique de la Matière Condensée, Collège de France, 11, place Marcelin-Berthelot, 75231 Paris cedex 05, France, , , , , , FR

    K. Okumura & P.-G. de Gennes

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  1. K. Okumura
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  2. P.-G. de Gennes
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Received 18 March 2000

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Okumura, K., de Gennes, PG. Why is nacre strong? Elastic theory and fracture mechanics for biocomposites with stratified structures. Eur. Phys. J. E 4, 121–127 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/s101890170150

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s101890170150

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