Natural forms inspire McGill researchers to develop a
technique to make glass less brittle
Normally when you drop a drinking glass on the floor it
shatters. But, in future, thanks to a technique developed in McGill’s
Department of Mechanical Engineering, when the same thing happens the glass is
likely to simply bend and become slightly deformed. That’s because Prof.
François Barthelat and his team have successfully taken inspiration from the
mechanics of natural structures like seashells in order to significantly
increase the toughness of glass.