Modeling and simulation of the mechanical properties in microstructures of limpet teeth and tailor-made high-performance composites mimicking the limpet tooth microstructure

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Biological materials are well known to exhibit exceptional properties and unique property combinations, ranging from the extreme tensile strength of spider silk, over auxeticity in pomelo peel to the combination of high strength and fracture resistance found in teeth. These properties are the result of sophisticated microstructures. In this project, limpet radula teeth are studied. The microstructure of these teeth consists of mineral nanofibers embedded in an inorganic matrix, thus, forming a ceramic fiber-reinforced silica matrix composite. This material combination is in stark contrast with other, more commonly researched, biological materials such as nacre, mammalian bone or dentin. These radula teeth significantly vary not only in material but also in microstructure from other dental structures despite serving the same function. In this project, the fracture behavior and toughening mechanisms in this extraordinary biological silica matrix composite will be studied by means of simulations and ultimately used to computationally design novel biomimetic composite architectures.