Solid Biomechanics

Solid Biomechanics is the first book to comprehensively review the mechanical design of organisms. With a physical approach and a minimum of mathematics, the textbook introduces readers to the world of structural mechanics and sheds light on the dazzling array of mechanical adaptations that link creatures as dissimilar as bacteria, plants, and animals. Exploring a wide range of subjects in depth, from spider silks and sharkskin to climbing plants and human food processing, this immensely accessible text demonstrates that the bodies of animals and plants are masterpieces of engineering, enabling them to survive in a hostile world.


The textbook describes how organisms construct materials from limited components, arrange materials into efficient structures that withstand different types of stresses, and interact mechanically with their environment. Looking at practical and historical aspects of the subject, the book delves into how the mechanics of organisms might be applied to other engineering scenarios and considers the ways structural biomechanics could and should develop in the future if more is to be learned about the form and function of organisms. Solid Biomechanics will be useful to all those interested in how organisms work, from biologists and engineers to physicists and students of biomechanics, bionics, and materials science.


  • The first comprehensive review of the structural mechanics of organisms

  • Introduces the subject using a physical approach involving minimal mathematics

  • Three complementary sections: materials, structures, and mechanical interactions of organisms

  • Links the dazzling array of mechanical adaptations seen in widely differing organisms

  • Practical and historical approach shows how mechanical adaptations have been discovered and how readers can perform their own investigations

1117356246
Solid Biomechanics

Solid Biomechanics is the first book to comprehensively review the mechanical design of organisms. With a physical approach and a minimum of mathematics, the textbook introduces readers to the world of structural mechanics and sheds light on the dazzling array of mechanical adaptations that link creatures as dissimilar as bacteria, plants, and animals. Exploring a wide range of subjects in depth, from spider silks and sharkskin to climbing plants and human food processing, this immensely accessible text demonstrates that the bodies of animals and plants are masterpieces of engineering, enabling them to survive in a hostile world.


The textbook describes how organisms construct materials from limited components, arrange materials into efficient structures that withstand different types of stresses, and interact mechanically with their environment. Looking at practical and historical aspects of the subject, the book delves into how the mechanics of organisms might be applied to other engineering scenarios and considers the ways structural biomechanics could and should develop in the future if more is to be learned about the form and function of organisms. Solid Biomechanics will be useful to all those interested in how organisms work, from biologists and engineers to physicists and students of biomechanics, bionics, and materials science.


  • The first comprehensive review of the structural mechanics of organisms

  • Introduces the subject using a physical approach involving minimal mathematics

  • Three complementary sections: materials, structures, and mechanical interactions of organisms

  • Links the dazzling array of mechanical adaptations seen in widely differing organisms

  • Practical and historical approach shows how mechanical adaptations have been discovered and how readers can perform their own investigations

68.49 In Stock
Solid Biomechanics

Solid Biomechanics

by Roland Ennos
Solid Biomechanics

Solid Biomechanics

by Roland Ennos

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Overview

Solid Biomechanics is the first book to comprehensively review the mechanical design of organisms. With a physical approach and a minimum of mathematics, the textbook introduces readers to the world of structural mechanics and sheds light on the dazzling array of mechanical adaptations that link creatures as dissimilar as bacteria, plants, and animals. Exploring a wide range of subjects in depth, from spider silks and sharkskin to climbing plants and human food processing, this immensely accessible text demonstrates that the bodies of animals and plants are masterpieces of engineering, enabling them to survive in a hostile world.


The textbook describes how organisms construct materials from limited components, arrange materials into efficient structures that withstand different types of stresses, and interact mechanically with their environment. Looking at practical and historical aspects of the subject, the book delves into how the mechanics of organisms might be applied to other engineering scenarios and considers the ways structural biomechanics could and should develop in the future if more is to be learned about the form and function of organisms. Solid Biomechanics will be useful to all those interested in how organisms work, from biologists and engineers to physicists and students of biomechanics, bionics, and materials science.


  • The first comprehensive review of the structural mechanics of organisms

  • Introduces the subject using a physical approach involving minimal mathematics

  • Three complementary sections: materials, structures, and mechanical interactions of organisms

  • Links the dazzling array of mechanical adaptations seen in widely differing organisms

  • Practical and historical approach shows how mechanical adaptations have been discovered and how readers can perform their own investigations


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781400840649
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication date: 10/10/2011
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 264
File size: 4 MB

About the Author

Roland Ennos is a reader in ecology at the University of Manchester. He is the author of Trees.

Table of Contents

Preface xi
Acknowledgments xiii


PART 1 Understanding Elasticity


Chapter 1: The Properties of Materials 3
Forces: Dynamics and Statics 3
Investigating the Mechanical Properties of Materials 4
Determining Material Properties 7
Loading, Unloading, and Energy Storage 8
The Effect of Direction 11
Changes in Shape during Axial Loading 11
Shear 12
Performing Material Tests 14
Failure and Breaking 17
Stress Concentrations and Notch Sensitivity 17
Energy Changes and the Work of Fracture 19
Measuring Work of Fracture 21
Comparing the Properties of Materials 24


PART 2 Biological Materials


Chapter 2: Biological Rubbers 29
The Problem of Raw Materials 29
Biological Polymers 30
The Shape and Behavior of Random-Coil Chains 32
The Structure and Mechanical Properties of Rubbers 32
Biological Protein Rubbers 35
Resilin 35
Abductin 37
Elastin 38


Chapter 3: Complex Polymers 42
The Mechanics of Polymers 42
Investigating Polymer Behavior 44
A Typical Polymer: Sea Anemone Mesoglea 46
Mucus and Gels 48
Making Protein Polymers Stiffer 51
Silks 53


Chapter 4: Polymer Composites 59
Combining Materials 59
The Behavior of Soft Composites 59
Natural Soft Composites 62
Rigid Composites 66
Keratinous Structures 68
The Theory of Fillers and Discontinuous Composites 74
Insect Cuticle 75
The Plant Cell Wall 79
Wood 80


Chapter 5: Composites Incorporating Ceramics 83
The Advantages of Incorporating Minerals 83
Spicule-Reinforced Connective Tissue 83
Bone 84
Tooth Ceramics 88
Mollusk Shell 89
PART 3 Biological Structures


Chapter 6: Tensile Structures 95
An Introduction to Structures 95
Ropes and Strings 95
Using Multiple Ropes 97
Membranes, Skins, and Plates 98
Resisting Out-of-Plane Forces 102
Stresses in Pipes, Cylinders, and Spheres 103
The Design of Arteries 105
The Design of Lungs 107
The Design of Swim Bladders 108
The Design of Gas Vesicles 109


Chapter 7: Hydrostatic Skeletons 111
The Advantages of Being Pressurized 111
Cartilage 111
The Hydrostatic Skeletons of Plants 112
Cylindrical Pressure Vessels 113
Pressure Vessels with Orthogonal Fibers 113
Muscular Hydrostats 115
Helically Wound Cylinders 115
Helical Fibers to Control Growth and Shape 116
Helical Fibers as Muscle Antagonists 119
Fibers as Limits to Movement 121


Chapter 8: Structures in Bending 123
The Complexity of Bending 123
Simple Beam Theory 123
The Four-Point Bending Test 125
The Three-Point Bending Test 126
The Consequences of Simple Beam Theory 128
Fracture in Bending 134
Shear in Beams 135
The Consequences of Shear 138
Biological Trusses 139
Optimal Taper and the Scaling of Cantilever Beams 143


Chapter 9: Structures in Compression 147
Material Failure in Compression 147
Structural Failure in Compression 147
The Buckling of Struts 148
Buckling within Structures 152
Cork 157


Chapter 10: Structures in Torsion 159
Torsional Stresses and Strains 159
Torsion Tests 160
The Effect of Cross Section 162
Designs That Resist Torsion 162
Designs That Facilitate Torsion 163
The Mechanics of Spiral Springs 165
The Torsional Rigidity of Plates 166


Chapter 11: Joints and Levers 170
Support and Flexibility 170
Passive Movement in Plants 170
Active Movement in Plants 171
Hinges in Animals 172
Moving Joints 175


PART 4 Mechanical Interactions


Chapter 12: Attachments 183
Holding On 183
Hooking On 183
Attachments to Soft Substrates 184
Attachments to Particulate Substrates 185
Attachments to Hard, Flat Surfaces 189


Chapter 13: Interactions with the Mechanical Environment 198
Optimizing Design for Strength 198
Factors of Safety 198
How Optimization is Achieved 201


Chapter 14: Mechanical Interactions between Organisms 206
Biotic Interactions 206
The Mechanics of Climbing Plants 206
The Mechanics of Fungal Hyphae and Appressoria 209
Plant Defenses against Fungi 210
Food Processing by Animals 210
Adaptations of Potential Food 212
Other Biotic Interactions 215
PART 5 Looking Forward


Chapter 15: The Future of Structural Biomechanics 219
Successes 219
Limitations and Future Developments 219
New Frontiers for Biomechanics 222


Glossary 223
References 231
Index 247

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"The publication of this book is nothing if not auspicious. In Solid Biomechanics, Ennos brings to bear his unusually wide experience, from early work on insect flight to extensive recent research on plants. This is a book that we very much need."—Steven Vogel, professor emeritus, Duke University

"This accessible and clear book looks at how the structure and mechanical properties of tissues and organs of living organisms relate to their function. Discussing many kinds of tissues—plant, animal, and human—Solid Biomechanics will generate broad interest in the subject."—Rod Lakes, University of Wisconsin

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