A Millimeter Scale Flexural Testing System for Measuring the Mechanical Properties of Marine Sponge Spicules

Many load bearing biological structures (LBBSs)&#8212;such as feather rachises and spicules&#8212;are small (&#60;1 mm) but not microscopic. Measuring the ...

Brown University

This study introduces, validates and demonstrates a new automated software tool (VA-BATTS) to calculate bone stresses within a bone cross section subjected to bending, axial, torsional and transverse shear far-field loading conditions, using quantitative computed tomography (QCT) data.

A new software tool (VA-BATTS) to calculate bending, axial, torsional and transverse shear stresses within bone cross sections having inhomogeneous material properties.

In experiments that involve contact with adhesion between two surfaces, as found in atomic force microscopy or nanoindentation, two distinct contact force (P) vs. indentation-depth (h) curves are often measured depending on whether the indenter moves towards or away from the sample. The origin of this hysteresis is not well understood and is often attributed to moisture, plasticity or viscoelasticity. Here we report experiments that show that hysteresis can exist in the absence of these effects, and that its magnitude depends on surface roughness. We develop a theoretical model in which the hysteresis appears as the result of a series of surface instabilities, in which the contact area grows or recedes by a finite amount. The model can be used to estimate material properties from contact experiments even when the measured P-h curves are not unique.

Role of Surface Roughness in Hysteresis during Adhesive Elastic Contact.

To adapt to a wide range of physically demanding environmental conditions, biological systems have evolved a diverse variety of robust skeletal architectures. One such example, Euplectella aspergillum, is a sediment-dwelling marine sponge that is anchored into the sea floor by a flexible holdfast apparatus consisting of thousands of anchor spicules (long, hair-like glassy fibers). Each spicule is covered with recurved barbs and has an internal architecture consisting of a solid core of silica surrounded by an assembly of coaxial silica cylinders, each of which is separated by a thin organic layer. The thickness of each silica cylinder progressively decreases from the spicule's core to its periphery, which we hypothesize is an adaptation for redistributing internal stresses, thus increasing the overall strength of each spicule. To evaluate this hypothesis, we created a spicule structural mechanics model, in which we fixed the radii of the silica cylinders such that the force transmitted from the surface barbs to the remainder of the skeletal system was maximized. Compared with measurements of these parameters in the native sponge spicules, our modeling results correlate remarkably well, highlighting the beneficial nature of this elastically heterogeneous lamellar design strategy. The structural principles obtained from this study thus provide potential design insights for the fabrication of high-strength beams for load-bearing applications through the modification of their internal architecture, rather than their external geometry.

New functional insights into the internal architecture of the laminated anchor spicules of Euplectella aspergillum.

Mechanobiology relates cellular processes to mechanical signals, such as determining the effect of variations in matrix stiffness with cell tractions. Cell traction recorded via traction force microscopy (TFM) commonly takes place on materials such as polyacrylamide- and polyethylene glycol-based gels. Such experiments remain limited in physiological relevance because cells natively migrate within complex tissue microenvironments that are spatially heterogeneous and hierarchical. Yet, TFM requires determination of the matrix constitutive law (stress-strain relationship), which is not always readily available. In addition, the currently achievable displacement resolution limits the accuracy of TFM for relatively small cells. To overcome these limitations, and increase the physiological relevance of in vitro experimental design, we present a new approach and a set of associated biomechanical signatures that are based purely on measurements of the matrix's displacements without requiring any knowledge of its constitutive laws. We show that our mean deformation metrics (MDM) approach can provide significant biophysical information without the need to explicitly determine cell tractions. In the process of demonstrating the use of our MDM approach, we succeeded in expanding the capability of our displacement measurement technique such that it can now measure the 3D deformations around relatively small cells (∼10 micrometers), such as neutrophils. Furthermore, we also report previously unseen deformation patterns generated by motile neutrophils in 3D collagen gels.

Mean deformation metrics for quantifying 3D cell-matrix interactions without requiring information about matrix material properties.

We identify a new structure-property connection in the skeletal elements of the marine sponge Tethya aurantia. The skeletal elements, known as spicules, are millimeter-long, axisymmetric, silica rods that are tapered along their lengths. Mechanical designs in other structural biomaterials, such as nacre and bone, have been studied primarily for their benefits to toughness properties. The structure-property connection we identify, however, falls in the entirely new category of buckling resistance. We use computational mechanics calculations and information about the spicules' arrangement within the sponge to develop a structural mechanics model for the spicules. We use our structural mechanics model along with measurements of the spicules' shape to estimate the load they can transmit before buckling. Compared to a cylinder with the same length and volume, we predict that the spicules' shape enhances this critical load by up to 30%. We also find that the spicules' shape is close to the shape of the column that is optimized to transmit the largest load before buckling. In man-made structures, many strategies are used to prevent buckling. We find, however, that the spicules use a completely new strategy. We hope our discussion will generate a greater appreciation for nature's ability to produce beneficial designs.

A new structure-property connection in the skeletal elements of the marine sponge Tethya aurantia that guards against buckling instability.

The remarkable mechanical properties of biological structures, like tooth and bone, are often a consequence of their architecture. The tree ring-like layers that comprise the skeletal elements of the marine sponge Euplectella aspergillum are a quintessential example of the intricate architectures prevalent in biological structures. These skeletal elements, known as spicules, are hair-like fibers that consist of a concentric array of silica cylinders separated by thin, organic layers. Thousands of spicules act like roots to anchor the sponge to the sea floor. While spicules have been the subject of several structure-property investigations, those studies have mostly focused on the relationship between the spicule's layered architecture and toughness properties. In contrast, we hypothesize that the spicule's layered architecture enhances its bending failure strain, thereby allowing it to provide a better anchorage to the sea floor. We test our hypothesis by performing three-point bending tests on E. aspergillum spicules, measuring their bending failure strains, and comparing them to those of spicules from a related sponge, Tethya aurantia. The T. aurantia spicules have a similar chemical composition to E. aspergillum spicules but have no architecture. Thus, any difference between the bending failure strains of the two types of spicules can be attributed to the E. aspergillum spicules' layered architecture. We found that the bending failure strains of the E. aspergillum spicules were roughly 2.4 times larger than those of the T. aurantia spicules.

Haneesh Kesari

School of Engineering

Brown University

A Millimeter Scale Flexural Testing System for Measuring the Mechanical Properties of Marine Sponge Spicules

Haneesh Kesari

.css-o250i3{font-size:18px;font-family:Open Sans,sans-serif;line-height:21.6px;}School of Engineering

Brown University

A Millimeter Scale Flexural Testing System for Measuring the Mechanical Properties of Marine Sponge Spicules

School of Engineering