Applied Mathematics and Mechanics >
Analysis of competing toughening mechanisms in interlocked bio-inspired glass composites
Received date: 2026-01-05
Revised date: 2026-04-02
Online published: 2026-06-18
Supported by
Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.?12072184) and the Open Fund of Zhijian Laboratory (Rocket Force University of Engineering) No.?2024-ZJSYS-KF02-08)
Copyright
Conventional ceramics and glasses exhibit high strength and stiffness; however, their inherent brittleness often leads to catastrophic fracture under mechanical loading. To overcome this limitation, natural materials such as nacre and sutures offer a compelling structural blueprint. Inspired by these natural architectures, a bio-inspired composite system that integrates a brick-and-mortar arrangement with a geometrically interlocked suture interface is developed. Uniaxial tensile experiments demonstrate that this hybrid design effectively combines nacre-like interfacial sliding with geometric interlocking, resulting in synergistic mechanical enhancements. To further elucidate the underlying deformation and failure mechanisms, comprehensive numerical simulations of the tensile behavior in glass-polymer bioinspired composites are carried out. Key micromechanical processes considered in the calculation include the frictional pull-out of glass interlocking structures, plastic deformation of the polymer matrix, and debonding at the composite interface. The failure of the composites is controlled by the competition between the geometric interlocking of the glass, the plastic deformation of the polymer matrix, and the interface debonding of the composite material. Increasing the interlocking angle and interfacial friction coefficient significantly elevates the tensile strength by promoting the frictional resistance during pull-out. A strong interfacial strength and a large failure displacement enhance the effective toughness of the interface, which promotes stable and progressive damage evolution, leading to improved overall mechanical properties. In contrast, the yield strength of the polymer matrix has no significant influence on the peak tensile strength in the present design configuration. It is also found that the interlocking with strong friction interaction and strong interface can activate significant energy-dissipation mechanisms, thereby significantly enhancing the toughness of the composites.
Jiani JIANG , Qi WANG , Shuiqiang ZHANG , Dongli SHI , Li DING , Bingbing AN , Dongsheng ZHANG . Analysis of competing toughening mechanisms in interlocked bio-inspired glass composites[J]. Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, 2026 , 47(6) : 1241 -1262 . DOI: 10.1007/s10483-026-3394-8
| [1] | YIN, Z., DASTJERDI, A., and BARTHELAT, F. Tough and deformable glasses with bioinspired cross-ply architectures. Acta Biomaterialia, 75, 439–450 (2018) |
| [2] | LIU, Z. Q., MEYERS, M. A., ZHANG, Z. F., and RITCHIE, R. O. Functional gradients and heterogeneities in biological materials: design principles, functions, and bioinspired applications. Progress in Materials Science, 88, 467–498 (2017) |
| [3] | SARVESTANI, H. Y., VAN EGMOND, D. A., ESMAIL, I., GENEST, M., PAQUET, C., and ASHRAFI, B. Bioinspired stochastic design: tough and stiff ceramic systems. Advanced Functional Materials, 32(6), 2108492 (2022) |
| [4] | ZHANG, G. L., PENG, J. B., LUAN, Y. B., LI, Y. C., MA, S. G., WANG, M. R., and ZHOU, Z. H. Improved mechanical performance of Strombus gigas shell inspired artificial composites by regulating the laminated structure and interface bonding. Mechanics of Advanced Materials and Structures, 31(22), 5692–5700 (2024) |
| [5] | PENICK, C. A., COPE, G., MORANKAR, S., MISTRY, Y., GRISHIN, A., CHAWLA, N., and BHATE, D. The comparative approach to bio-inspired design: integrating biodiversity and biologists into the design process. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 62(5), 1153–1163 (2022) |
| [6] | LIU, S. Y., XU, Y. Z., LIAO, R. C., HE, G., DING, L., AN, B. B., and ZHANG, D. S. On fracture behavior of inner enamel: a numerical study. Applied Mathematics and Mechanics (English Edition), 44(6), 931–940 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1007/s10483-023-3007-6 |
| [7] | ZHU, H. K., CAO, H., LIU, X., WANG, M. L., MENG, X. Y., ZHOU, Q., and XU, L. X. Nacre-like composite films with a conductive interconnected network consisting of graphene oxide, polyvinyl alcohol and single-walled carbon nanotubes. Materials & Design, 175, 107783 (2019) |
| [8] | ESPINOSA, H. D., RIM, J. E., BARTHELAT, F., and BUEHLER, M. J. Merger of structure and material in nacre and bone?—?perspectives on de novo biomimetic materials. Progress in Materials Science, 54(8), 1059–1100 (2009) |
| [9] | BARTHELAT, F., TANG, H., ZAVATTIERI, P. D., LI, C. M., and ESPINOSA, H. D. On the mechanics of mother-of-pearl: a key feature in the material hierarchical structure. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 55(2), 306–337 (2007) |
| [10] | CUI, S. K., YANG, Z. Y., and LU, Z. X. An analytical model for the bio-inspired nacreous composites with interlocked “brick-and-mortar” structures. Composites Science and Technology, 193, 108131 (2020) |
| [11] | BARTHELAT, F. Designing nacre-like materials for simultaneous stiffness, strength and toughness: optimum materials, composition, microstructure and size. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 73, 22–37 (2014) |
| [12] | FENG, X. Q., ZHAO, Z. L., YAN, Y., and ZHAO, H. P. Toughening and strengthening mechanisms of biological materials: a review. Materials Science and Engineering R: Reports, 165, 100988 (2025) |
| [13] | ZHANG, Y. Y., HEIM, F. M., BARTLETT, J. L., SONG, N. N., ISHEIM, D., and LI, X. D. Bioinspired, graphene-enabled Ni composites with high strength and toughness. Science Advances, 5(5), eaav5577 (2019) |
| [14] | YAO, S. J., TIAN, L. S., FENG, B. Y., ZENG, X. Y., XIONG, J. Y., GONG, Y. Z., ZHANG, Y., WANG, L. X., HUANG, W., and ZHOU, H. M. Bioinspired nacre-like CFRP composites with 3D organic mortar networks for synergistic multiscale toughness and impact resistance. Composites Science and Technology, 269, 111240 (2025) |
| [15] | GUO, X., DONG, X. Y., ZOU, G. J., GAO, H. J., and ZHAI, W. Strong and tough fibrous hydrogels reinforced by multiscale hierarchical structures with multimechanisms. Science Advances, 9(2), eadf7075 (2023) |
| [16] | WANG, S. X., TAN, L. L., YANG, Z., ZHAO, H. W., and GUO, L. A strong, tough, and stable composite with nacre-inspired sandwich structure. Advanced Materials, 36(29), 2401883 (2024) |
| [17] | LU, J. F., DENG, J. J., WEI, Y., YANG, X. Y., ZHAO, H. W., ZHAO, Q. H., LIU, S. J., LI, F. S., LI, Y. B., DENG, X. L., JIANG, L., and GUO, L. Hierarchically mimicking outer tooth enamel for restorative mechanical compatibility. Nature Communications, 15, 10182 (2024) |
| [18] | LI, Y. B., YUE, H. L., LU, J. F., ZHAO, Q. H., LIU, S. J., YIN, W. Z., HAN, J. M., GUO, T. Q., ZHAO, H. W., and GUO, L. A gradient enamel-mimetic composite via crisscross assembly of aligned hybrid nanowires for excellent mechanical performance. Advanced Materials, 37(51), 2503537 (2025) |
| [19] | LIU, S. J., DENG, J. J., ZHAO, H. W., WANG, T. B., LU, J. F., DING, B. S., GUO, T. Q., RITCHIE, R. O., and GUO, L. Tooth enamel-inspired ceramic coating on metal surface for enhanced mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. Nature Communications, 16, 5980 (2025) |
| [20] | SUN, J., ZHAO, C. X., LI, J., MEI, H., LIU, X., and YAN, S. L. Biomimetic nacreous structure enhances the impact resistance of transparent protective composites. Materials & Design, 258, 114679 (2025) |
| [21] | FAN, L., JI, X. H., WU, C. T., ZHANG, W., TONG, Y. Y., WANG, Q. N., SONG, F. Y., LI, F., LIU, G. Y., and LI, M. Y. Unlocking toughness in 3D-printed cement through bio-inspired designs: current status and future perspectives. RSC Advances, 16(3), 2858–2872 (2026) |
| [22] | LI, Y. N., ORTIZ, C., and BOYCE, M. C. Bioinspired, mechanical, deterministic fractal model for hierarchical suture joints. Physical Review E, 85(3), 031901 (2012) |
| [23] | LI, Y. N., ORTIZ, C., and BOYCE, M. C. A generalized mechanical model for suture interfaces of arbitrary geometry. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 61(4), 1144–1167 (2013) |
| [24] | LI, Y. N., ORTIZ, C., and BOYCE, M. C. Stiffness and strength of suture joints in nature. Physical Review E, 84(6), 062904 (2011) |
| [25] | JIANG, P., ZHANG, S. S., YANG, H., and LI, Y. Suture interface inspired self-recovery architected structures for reusable energy absorption. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 15(36), 43102–43110 (2023) |
| [26] | MIRKHALAF, M., DASTJERDI, A. K., and BARTHELAT, F. Overcoming the brittleness of glass through bio-inspiration and micro-architecture. Nature Communications, 5, 3166 (2014) |
| [27] | MALIK, I. A. and BARTHELAT, F. Toughening of thin ceramic plates using bioinspired surface patterns. International Journal of Solids and Structures, 97-98, 389–399 (2016) |
| [28] | KATZ, Z., SARVESTANI, H. Y., GHOLIPOUR, J., and ASHRAFI, B. Bioinspired hierarchical ceramic sutures for multi-modal performance. Advanced Materials Interfaces, 10(14), 2300098 (2023) |
| [29] | GAO, C., HASSELDINE, B. P. J., LI, L., WEAVER, J. C., and LI, Y. N. Amplifying strength, toughness, and auxeticity via wavy sutural tessellation in plant seedcoats. Advanced Materials, 30(36), 1800579 (2018) |
| [30] | XU, M., AN, B. B., and ZHANG, D. S. Competing mechanisms in fracture of staggered mineralized collagen fibril arrays. Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials, 141, 105761 (2023) |
| [31] | WANG, Q., DING, L., WANG, S., RUAN, D. P., XU, Y. Z., CHU, Y. S., AROLA, D., AN, B. B., and ZHANG, D. S. A toughening strategy of the glass composite with a laminated interlocking feature. Applied Mathematics and Mechanics (English Edition), 46(7), 1315–1330 (2025) https://doi.org/10.1007/s10483-025-3270-9 |
| [32] | ZHANG, X., WU, K. J., NI, Y., and HE, L. H. Anomalous inapplicability of nacre-like architectures as impact-resistant templates in a wide range of impact velocities. Nature Communications, 13, 7719 (2022) |
| [33] | CHINTAPALLI, R. K., BRETON, S., DASTJERDI, A. K., and BARTHELAT, F. Strain rate hardening: a hidden but critical mechanism for biological composites. Acta Biomaterialia, 10(12), 5064–5073 (2014) |
| [34] | YANG, L. and THOMASON, J. L. Interface strength in glass fibre-polypropylene measured using the fibre pull-out and microbond methods. Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 41(9), 1077–1083 (2010) |
| [35] | JI, B. H. and GAO, H. J. Mechanical properties of nanostructure of biological materials. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 52(9), 1963–1990 (2004) |
| [36] | AN, B. B., SUN, W. H., and ZHANG, D. S. Role of soft bi-layer coating on the protection of turtle carapace. Journal of Biomechanics, 126, 110618 (2021) |
| [37] | JALALVAND, M., CZéL, G., FULLER, J. D., WISNOM, M. R., CANAL, L. P., GONZáLEZ, C. D., and LLORCA, J. Energy dissipation during delamination in composite materials?—?an experimental assessment of the cohesive law and the stress-strain field ahead of a crack tip. Composites Science and Technology, 134, 115–124 (2016) |
| [38] | YANG, H., SINHA, S. K., FENG, Y., MCCALLEN, D. B., and JEREMI?, B. Energy dissipation analysis of elastic-plastic materials. Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, 331, 309–326 (2018) |
| [39] | MOOSA, M. H., ABU-OKAIL, M., ABU-OQAIL, A., AL-SHELKAMY, S. A., SHEWAKH, W. M., and GHAFAR, M. A. Structural and tribological characterization of carbon and glass fabrics reinforced epoxy for bushing applications safety. Polymers, 15, 2064 (2023) |
| [40] | VI?A, J., GARCíA, M. A., CASTRILLO, M. A., VI?A, I., and ARGüELLES, A. Wear behavior of a glass fiber-reinforced PEI composite. Journal of Thermoplastic Composite Materials, 21(3), 279–286 (2008) |
| [41] | WANG, H. G., ZHENG, A. N., and DAI, G. C. Study on the interfacial bonding of glass fiber reinforced polypropylene composites I: interfacial shear strength. Acta Materiae Compositae Sinica, 16(3), 46–50 (1999) |
| [42] | FATIHA, T., BACHIR, K., and AREZKI, D. Micromechanics of stress transfer across the interface fiber-matrix bonding. International Journal of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, 14(11), 251–256 (2019) |
/
| 〈 |
|
〉 |
Email Alert
RSS