Premium
Fracture Toughness and Interfacial Design of a Biological Fiber‐Matrix Ceramic Composite in Sea Urchin Teeth
Author(s) -
Wang Rizhi
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of the american ceramic society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.9
H-Index - 196
eISSN - 1551-2916
pISSN - 0002-7820
DOI - 10.1111/j.1151-2916.1998.tb02444.x
Subject(s) - materials science , composite material , ceramic , composite number , fiber , sea urchin , fracture toughness , indentation hardness , ceramic matrix composite , tooth enamel , matrix (chemical analysis) , enamel paint , microstructure , geology , paleontology
The working zone of a sea urchin tooth is a ceramic‐fiber‐reinforced ceramic‐matrix composite. It is composed of reinforcing calcitic fibers, a matrix of high‐magnesium‐containing calcite crystals, and organic material. It is much harder and tougher than most other calcitic materials. Fracture toughness and microhardness have been studied using microindentation. A comparison of fracture morphologies between intact teeth and teeth from which the organic component has been removed reveals that the thin organic sheath at the fiber/matrix boundary has an important contribution to the fiber pull‐out fracture behavior and, hence, to the toughness of the teeth.