iMAT/iNANO Seminar: Mineralized shark vertebral centra: Trabeculae, crystallographic texture and in situ loading
Shark skeletons reveal secrets of strength: explore how their mineralized cartilage endures strain via trabeculae structure and crystal texture. Stuart R. Stock, Northwestern Univ., Chicago, IL, USA (Host: Henrik Birkedal)
Info about event
Time
Location
1514-115 Aud-III, Department of Chemistry
Abstract
The skeletons of elasmobranchs, which include sharks and rays, consist of cartilage (type 2 collagen). Some elasmobranch skeletal cartilage is mineralized with a bioapatite related to hydroxyapatite, and the centra (i.e., vertebral bodies) of sharks possess remarkable resistance to millions of cycles of in vivo strains exceeding 4%. This talk describes the trabecular thickness and trabecular spacing observed in different species. Next, the different bioapatite crystallographic textures are presented for the two structural zones of centra. Finally, results of in situ loading are presented: quantification of the changes in trabecular spacing reveal that deformation is accommodated by deflection/rotation of the trabeculae, much like what occurs in Gibson-Ashby structural foams.
About the speaker
Stuart R. Stock
Dept. of Cell & Developmental Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Center for Regenerative Nanomedicine, Northwestern Univ., Chicago, IL, USA