Journal
ACTA BIOMATERIALIA
Volume 6, Issue 2, Pages 319-330Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2009.06.033
Keywords
Keratin; Sheep horn; Mechanical properties; Microstructure; Lamellar composite
Funding
- National Science Foundation [DMR 0510138]
- Army Research Office [W911-08-1-0461]
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The structure and mechanical properties of the horns from a desert bighorn sheep, Ovis canadensis, were examined. Horns must be strong and durable as they are subjected to extreme loading impacts, making them superior structural materials. Horns are composed of alpha-keratin, a fibrous, structural protein found in hair, nails, claws and hooves. Horns have a lamellar structure (2-5 mu m in thickness) stacked in the radial direction with tubules (similar to 40 x 100 mu m in diameter) dispersed between the lamellae, extending along the length of the horn in the growth direction. Compression and bending tests were conducted in both rehydrated and ambient dried conditions. The yield strength and elastic modulus are anisotropic and are correlated with the orientation of the tubules. Rehydrated samples showed significant loss of strength and modulus. Microscopy of fractured samples revealed several toughening mechanisms: delamination and ligament bridging in bending and delamination and microbuckling of the lamellae in compression. (C) 2009 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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