Nature Makes A Material Difference
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Nature Makes A Material Difference Christopher Viney Materials engineering is eloquently described for the layperson in two classic Penguin paperbacks authored by the pioneering materials technology professor, J.E. Gordon. The two books are The Neiv
structures to achieve particular combinations of properties. Stiff, low-density cellular and honeycomb materials owe their inspiration partly to wood and bone. The microstructural basis of the high Science of Strong Materials, or Why You Don't strength, stiffness, and toughness Fall Through the Floor (1968), and the sequel achieved by the dragline silk of spiders is a Structures, or Why Things Don't Fall Dmvn continuing research topic in several labora(1978). In addition to being valuable as intories. As symbiosis between the physical troductory reading, these books are articuand life sciences progresses, structurelate reminders of the origins, mission, and property characterization increasingly revision of materials engineering at its interveals that the bulk properties of natural disciplinary best. (It was initially these materials depend greatly on their hierarbooks, and the apparently unfettered inchical microstructure. It is not structure as resolved by any one type of microscopy terdisciplinary character of materials science and engineering, that attracted me to that is significant, but microstructure at all scales ranging from the arrangement of inthe field.) Both books draw attention to the debt that materials engineering owes to dividual atoms or molecules up to and including the macroscopic shape of the physics, mathematics, chemistry, traditional metallurgy, and mechanical engiproduct. This has been amply demonstrated in studies of biological materials neering. They also remind the reader frequently that useful, practical lessons can that are as diverse as silk, collagen, plant cell walls, rhinoceros horn, and nacre. In and should be drawn from nature. Indeed, Structures starts out with a discussion of the case of collagen, the large differences in nature as a role model for materials design, the arrangement of molecules—not their urging that "for solid quantitative reasons, relatively minor difference in chemical composition—are responsible for the disthere is a case for trying to rebuild some part of traditional engineering upon similar properties of tendons and corneas. models which may well turn out to be partly biological in inspiration...." Far-sighted sentiments such as these Meaningful biomimicry have not led to timely, appropriate biological coursework in materials curricula, deidentifies selected, spite the fact that nature has prevailed and worthwhile attributes to made a serious impact on materials anyway! Materials synthesis in particular has copy from a natural benefitted from accepting biological ideas. material. Bacterial action is exploited directly in heavy-metal extraction, and in recovering heavy metals from industrial effluent. Bacteria can be genetically altered to syntheThe lessons taught by silk go beyond size new protein polymers tha
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