Effect of chemical composition and microstructure on the mechanical behavior of fish scales from Megalops Atlanticus

Gil-Duran, S.; Arola, D.; Ossa, E.A.

Effect of chemical composition and microstructure on the mechanical behavior of fish scales from Megalops Atlanticus

Fecha

2016-03-01

Autores

Gil-Duran, S.

Arola, D.

Ossa, E.A.

Editor

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Resumen

This paper presents an experimental study of the composition, microstructure and mechanical behavior of scales from the Megalops Atlanticus (Atlantic tarpon). The microstructure and composition were evaluated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and RAMAN spectroscopy, respectively. The mechanical properties were evaluated in uniaxial tension as a function of position along the length of the fish (head, mid-length and tail). Results showed that the scales are composed of collagen and hydroxyapatite, and these constituents are distributed within three well-defined layers from the bottom to the top of the scale. The proportion of these layers with respect to the total scale thickness varies radially. The collagen fibers are arranged in plies with different orientations and with preferred orientation in the longitudinal direction of the fish. Results from the tensile tests showed that scales from Megalops Atlanticus exhibit variations in the elastic modulus as a function of body position. Additional testing performed with and without the highly mineralized top layers of the scale revealed that the mechanical behavior is anisotropic and that the highest strength was exhibited along the fish length. Furthermore, removing the top mineralized layers resulted in an increase in the tensile strength of the scale. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd.

Palabras clave

Biological materials, Collagen, Mechanical properties, Microstructure, Scanning electron microscopy, Tensile strength, Tensile testing, Chemical compositions, Effect of chemicals, Fish scale, Layered Structures, Longitudinal direction, Mechanical behavior, Mineralized layer, Preferred orientations, Fish, collagen, hydroxyapatite, anisotropy, Article, biomechanics, chemical composition, chemical structure, fish, fish scale, Megalops atlanticus, nonhuman, priority journal, Raman spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, tensile strength, Young modulus, anatomy and histology, animal, animal structures, biomechanics, chemistry, materials testing, mechanics, Animal Structures, Animals, Biomechanical Phenomena, Fishes, Materials Testing, Mechanical Phenomena