Structure and Mechanical Property of Asio Otus Feather Barbs

Abstract:

Avian feather is the outstanding protein fiber structure that still lacks an interpretation generally acceptable in any detail. In this paper, asio otus feathers were morphological represented and their barbs were mechanical characterized by a developed micro-tensile tester with a load resolution of 0.25 mN and a displacement resolution of 10 nm. With a tensile loading speed at 0.02 μm/s, Young’s modulus of the flight feather barbs with length of 1450-1900 μm was calculated to be 3.13-3.66 GPa, higher than 1.47-2.04 GPa for the down feather barbs with length of 520-710 μm. It is concluded that the asio otus’s flight feathers on its wing and tail are more rigid than the down feathers on its body.

• Periodical: Key Engineering Materials (Volumes 562-565)
• Pages: 914-919
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.562-565.914
• Online since: July 2013
• Authors: Jia Li Gao, Guo Qing Zhang, Le Guan, Jin Kui Chu, De Yi Kong, Yan Tai Bi
• Keywords: Asio Otus, Feather Barbs, Material Property, Micro-Tensile Testing

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