Optimization of

Nacre- like material

Vishak M
SC17B057

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Introduction
• Nacre, spider-silk, bone all have mechanical properties
unmatched by their engineering counterparts.
• Reason: Sophisticated microstructure organised over multiple
hierarchies.
• They amplify the properties of their relatively weak
ingredients
• These inspire novel bio mimetic materials offering superior
performance over traditional materials
• Nacre from mollusk shell has great significance.
• It is a staggered composite made from microscopic mineral
tablets with high aspect ratio arranged in a 3 D fashion.
• At least 4 species have developed these kind of staggered
composite which is an interesting example of convergent 2
evolution.
RVE(The Representative
volume Element)
• Staggered composites are composed of units with high aspect
ratio aligned in the direction of loading.
• In Nacre like materials the inclusions are tablets which are
either arranged in a well defined manner with a narrow range
of overlap length or very random arrangement with a wide
range of overlap lengths

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RVE
• The mechanism of any of these two may be captured by a
representative volume element (RVE) whose behaviour is
assumed to represent the entire material.
• A 2D RVE is used to predict modulus ,energy absorption,
strength and strain of staggered composites.

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RVE
𝑡𝑡
• 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑡(𝜙) =
𝑡𝑡 +𝑡𝑖
𝐿
• 𝐴𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝜌 =
𝑡𝑡
𝐿0
• 𝐴𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑝 =
𝑡𝑡
𝐿0
• 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑙𝑎𝑝 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜 𝜅 =
𝐿

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The Mechanics of shear stress
• It is governed by a dimension less number
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3𝐸𝑖 𝜙
𝐸𝑡
• 𝛽0 = 𝜌0
1−𝜙
• For 𝛽0 = 1 or smaller, the shear stress is quasi uniform along the
overlap length.
• For larger values, shear stresses become concentrated near the ends
of overlap length.
• At even higher values peel stress , stresses perpendicular to
interfaces starts to form at the ends.
• In this case the shear stress at the ends can be considered as stress
concentrations and can lead to failure much before.
• For the extreme case of 𝛽 = ∞ the shear stress will be transferred
as point load. This case is used to predict the failure criteria in this 6
study.
The Modulus
• The modulus of the composite is given as
𝜙∗𝐸𝑡
• 𝐸𝑐 = 𝜅 1−𝜅
1+ ∗(coth 𝛽0 +coth( ∗𝛽0 ))
𝛽0 𝜅

• When tensile stress is applied , due to stress concentrations

the ends of overlap region will first fail and crack is propagated
inwards.
• Therefore tensile stress will be bourn as the shear stress at the
overlap region
• 𝜎𝑐 ∗ 𝑡𝑡 + 𝑡𝑖 = 𝜏𝑖 ∗ 𝐿0
• 𝜎𝑐 = 𝜙 ∗ 𝜌0 ∗ 𝜏𝑖

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The Failure
• The composite fails wen the stresses are transferred as point
loads at ends of overlap region, which is limiting 𝛽 𝑡𝑜 ∞.
1 𝑎 −0.15
• 𝜌0 = − 2.364 ∗ − 1.12
2∗𝜏𝑖 𝑡𝑡

• The total energy absorbed before failure is then

• 𝑈𝑐 = 𝜅 ∗ 𝜏𝑖 ∗ (1 − 𝜙)

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Barthelat, F., Dastjerdi, A.K., Rabiei, R., 2013. An improved failure criterion for
biological and engineered staggered composites. J. R. Soc. Interface 10, 79
Normalised parameters
𝐸𝑐
• 𝐸𝑐~ =
𝐸𝑡
𝜎𝑐
• 𝜎𝑐~ =
𝜎𝑡
𝑈𝑐
• 𝑈𝑐~ =
𝜎𝑡 𝛾𝑖
𝜏𝑖
• 𝜏𝑖~ =
𝜎𝑡
• If we carefully look at 𝐸𝐶 , 𝑈𝑐 , 𝜎𝑐 all are functions of
𝜙𝑖 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝜏𝑖 .
• Therefore the problem in designing a nacre based material
corresponds to finding the 𝜙, 𝜏𝑖~

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Multiobjective function
• Since the point of optimum for each of them were at different
position , it calls for the need of a multi objective function.
• 𝐹 ~ = 𝐸𝑐𝑚 ∗ 𝑈𝑐𝑛 ∗ 𝜎𝑐𝑘 , 𝑚 + 𝑛 + 𝑘 = 1
• Where m, n, k are our priorities.

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Comparison
• At m=n=k=1/3, the optimum was found to be
• 𝑓𝑐 = 0.1129 𝜙 = 0.7712 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝜏𝑖 = 0.2144
• In the reference it is given as
• 𝑓𝑐 = 0.1 𝜙 ≈ 0.75 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝜏𝑖 ≈ 0.1

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Ternary plots
• The ternary plot between 𝜙𝑜𝑝𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 [𝑚, 𝑛, 𝑘]

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The ternary plot between 𝜌𝑜𝑝𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 [𝑚, 𝑛, 𝑘]

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The ternary plot between 𝜏𝑜𝑝𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 [𝑚, 𝑛, 𝑘]

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Investigation using other
standard ways of optimization
• Most common way of multi-objective optimization is with the
use of weighed sum method.
• 𝑈 = 𝑤𝑖 𝑓𝑖
• Here 𝑤𝑖 are weights typically in the form 𝑤𝑖 = 1 and 𝑓𝑖 s are
the objectives to be minimized or maximized.
• The weights can be used in two ways. The user may either set
w to reflect preferences before the problem is solved or
systematically alter w to yield different Pareto optimal points
(to generate the Pareto optimal set).
• Here 𝐹 ~ = 𝑚 ∗ 𝐸𝑐 + 𝑛 ∗ 𝑈𝑐 + 𝑘 ∗ 𝜎𝑐 , 𝑚 + 𝑛 + 𝑘 = 1

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Comparison
• At m=n=k=1/3, the optimum was found to be
• 𝑓𝑐 = 0.47569 𝜙 = 1 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝜏𝑖 = 0.10544

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Ternary plots
• The ternary plot between 𝜙𝑜𝑝𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 [𝑚, 𝑛, 𝑘]

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The ternary plot between 𝜏𝑜𝑝𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 [𝑚, 𝑛, 𝑘]

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The pareto optimal set

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Observation
• The results of the standard optimization technique , the
weighed sum method is found to significantly vary from the
reference material.
• If high modulus and high strength are desired over energy
absorption then it is more advantageous to use low interface
strength, and high concentration of tablets

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Reference
• Barthelat, Francois. "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 (2014): 22-37.

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