Mechanical testing of limpet teeth micro-beams using FIB

Abstract

AbstractDiscrete volumes of material in the form of a beam have been isolated from a parent limpet tooth using Focused Ion Beam (FIB) techniques. Mechanical bending tests of individual beams are performed using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The relatively small volumes tested in this beam-bending configuration allow approximation of the limpet tooth structure to a uniaxial short fibre composite. This mechanical testing technique is superior to conventional micro-hardness indentation as a defined stress condition within a locally defined volume is examined. Composite theory is shown to be valid for describing the mechanical properties of limpet teeth at sub-micron lengths scales and used to determine the synergy between the nanomaterial constituents.