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11: Optimization of Materials Properties in Living Systems

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    Learning Objectives

    On completion of this TLP you should:

    • Understand how materials-selection maps can be used to choose a suitable material for an engineering application.
    • Understand the use of merit indices in relation to materials-selection maps and be able to derive common examples.
    • Appreciate that biomaterials have different properties to man-made materials and can outperform common engineering materials for certain applications.
    • Be aware of why some biomaterials have developed specific properties.

    Before you start

    • You should be familiar with mechanical testing.
    • You should be familiar with Young’s modulus E, strength σf, density ρ and toughness ( fracture energy Gc and fracture toughness Kc).
    • You should be familiar with brittle and ductile fracture.
    • You should understand beam bending and beam stiffness with regard to beam deflections during cantilever bending.

    This page titled 11: Optimization of Materials Properties in Living Systems was last modified on Thu, 26 Nov 2020 20:31:43 GMT and is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Dissemination of IT for the Promotion of Materials Science (DoITPoMS) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.

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