| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2023 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Biological Materials Science
|
| Presentation Title |
Exploring the Mechanics of Force Transduction in the Tooth-stylus-radula System of Chitons |
| Author(s) |
John (Jack) Connolly, Phani Saketh Dasika, Jungeun Lee, Taifeng Wang , David Kisailus, Pablo Zavattieri |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Pablo Zavattieri |
| Abstract Scope |
Chitons are mollusks which live on hard surfaces in the sea and use ultrahard magnetite-based teeth to harvest algae from rocky substrates. Their teeth are attached to a radula, a belt-like membrane, by styli, appendages which support the tooth during the zipper-like, rasping action used for feeding. The mechanical properties of the styli and the radula, such as regionally-varied stiffness, and interaction between structural features, enable the rasping of teeth across hard surfaces of varying, unpredictable topography, with sufficient force to remove food for ingestion and flexibility to resist breakage due to overloading. In this study, the structural elements of the chiton’s feeding apparatus are characterized, and we employ computational models to define mechanical relationships describing in situ performance. The generalized findings of this work can inform design decisions in lightweight structures, soft robotics, remote sensing, and other modern mechanical fields. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Computational Materials Science & Engineering, Mechanical Properties, Additive Manufacturing |