Bioinspired Layered Composite Principles of Biomineralized Fish Scale

This chapter provides a road map for the current state of knowledge for biomineralized fish scale composite research. Since the fish scale is an analog of bone; detailed descriptions are given for the diverse field of bone research as well. Additionally provided are computational modeling methods that can be used to identify the structure–property relationships for the fish scale. Finally, the chapter integrates the biomaterials, science, and engineering perspectives so that the underlying mechanisms leading to the energy absorptive/dissipative characteristics can be ascertained. The goal of this chapter is to provide a prospectus into the current state of fish scale experimentation and modeling that can be used to develop bioinspired designs for protective structures. While the focus of this chapter is to discuss biomaterials and bioinspired design/analysis of protective structures, the state of knowledge is applicable to composites, aerospace, and biomedical communities of practice.