The mechanical properties of natural materials. I. Material property charts

Abstract The mechanical properties of natural materials as diverse as wood, muscle, shell and bone are plotted on material-property charts which show the relationships between properties. Performance indices are used to identify the load-bearing applications in which each performs particularly well. By these criteria, many natural materials are superior to the man-made materials of engineering. A companion paper examines some of the origins of this superiority; an explanation is sought in an analysis of the way structure influences properties.