 Once
the darling of ornithologists (and Irish Guinness ads), the Toucan
is now the
focus of a study at UCSD’s Jacobs School of Engineering. Or
to be more precise, its beak is. In a paper published in the December
issue of Acta Materialia, Marc A. Meyers, a UCSD professor of mechanical
and aerospace engineering, along with graduate students Yasuaki Seki
and Matthew S. Schneider, revealed the secret to the lightweight
strength
of the Toucan’s beak. They analyzed its density, stiffness,
hardness and response to
compression and stretching. They discovered that the lightweight
strength of the Toco Toucan’s beak is due to a matrix of bony
fibers and drum-like membranes sandwiched
between an outer layer of keratin, the protein
that makes up fingernails, hair and horn.
“Our computer modeling,” says Meyers, “shows that the beak
is optimized to an amazing degree for high strength and very little weight.” Meyers
first marveled at the lightweight toughness of toucan beaks when he was a boy
growing up
in Brazil 40 years ago, and he now believes that automobile and airplane makers
could benefit from this first-ever detailed engineering analysis. 
Contributors to Making Waves: Mario Aguilera, '89, Jessica
Demian, Marnette Federis, '06, Rex Graham, Raymond Hardie and Kim McDonald. |
