Handedness-dependent hyperelasticity of biological soft fibers with multilayered helical structures

• Hyperelasticity of biological soft fibers with multilayered helical structures.
• Switch of contact modes between neighboring layers occurs under tension or torsion.
• Soft fibers possess large Poisson's ratio and chirality-dependent properties.

Collagen fibrils with multilayered helical structures widely exist in biological soft tissues, e.g., blood vessels, tendons, and ligaments. Understanding the mechanical properties of this kind of chiral materials is not only essential for evaluating the mechanical behaviors of the host tissues but also of significance for medical engineering, clinical diagnosis, and surgical operation. In this paper, a theoretical model is presented to investigate the hyperelasticity of biological soft fibers with multilayered helical structures. The effects of the initial helical angle, number and handedness of the fibers in each ply on the mechanical response of the material are examined. Our analysis reveals a switch of contact modes between two neighboring layers, which may greatly alter the overall non-linear response of the material. The Poisson׳s ratio of such a multilayered string can be greater than 0.5. The obtained results agree with relevant experiments of soft tissues. This work sheds light on the non-linear mechanics of chiral materials and may also guide the design of biomimetic materials.