Bio-inspired overlapping curl structures for toughening bio-based epoxy: A study on the fracture phenomena

In this study, a 3D-printed biomimetic overlapping curl structure inspired by spider silk molecular structure, containing sacrificial bonds and hidden lengths, is studied as a toughening mechanism for a bio-based epoxy. Experimental results of the fracture phenomena of the overlapping curl-reinforced bio-based epoxy identify three toughening mechanisms triggered by the overlapping curl: (1) crack re-initiation, (2) overlapping curl bridging, and (3) epoxy ligament. First, the integrated overlapping curl creates a void within the epoxy matrix. As the crack tip reaches the end of this void, the crack re-initiates. Then, as the hidden length of overlapping curl unfolds, it leads to a bridging effect in resisting crack growth. In addition, for the smallest hidden length, an epoxy ligament is formed due to crack branching, significantly improving the energy release rate. The epoxy fracture energy release rate increased by 13 %. The overall modest improvement is attributed to the large plastic dissipation energy of the epoxy and the relatively low overlapping curl load-capacity. However, when expanding the design space numerically, it was shown that as the failure load of the overlapping curl increases, the bridging effect increases progressively. The introduction of the bio-inspired overlapping curl structure into bio-based epoxy proves the concept of a toughening strategy for developing high-performance sustainable composite materials.