Elytra of the bessbeetle, Odontotaenius disjunctus were thin sectioned after embedding in epoxy resin. Sections were cut with a diamond saw, ground to the desired thickness on a rotary grinder and polished. Tearing and distortion were reduced when compared to knifecut sections of heavily sclerotized cuticle.
The insect cuticle is an excellent example of a natural, fiber-reinforced, polymeric composite consisting of chitin fibers embedded in a protein matrix. Optical and electron microscopy have been used to examine the structure and interaction of the constituents of the bessbeetle (Odontotaenius disjunctus) cuticle from the molecular to the macroscopic levels.Molecular chains of the polysaccharide chitin (N-acetylglucosamine) are grouped together to form “fibrils” which are either dispersed throughout the matrix or combined to form larger “fibers”. The fibers are unidirectionally oriented within individual sheets or laminae which are stacked on top of one another at various angles forming a laminated structure.The protein matrix is ductile upon initial deposition but then undergoes a crosslinking process which increases its shear stiffness, thereby improving load transfer between fibers. The matrix is bound to the chitin via beta linkages holding it together at both the fibril and fiber levels. The matrix has a fibrous morphology which provides adequate toughness in spite of the high degree of crosslinking.Reference is made to designs observed in the bessbeetle cuticle which could be applied to man-made composites for improved performance primarily in the areas of damage tolerance and strength and stiffness coupled with low weight. For these designs to be implemented using synthetic materials, new or modified processing and fabrication methods are needed.
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