On the anisotropy of damage tolerance in bioinspired fiber composites with fish‐scale‐like structures

Abstract Natural fish scales have evolved intricate composite structures to achieve remarkable mechanical properties, offering valuable inspiration for the structural design of man‐made materials toward enhanced damage tolerance. In this study, bioinspired fiber composites featuring fish‐scale‐like orthogonal plywood and double‐Bouligand structures were fabricated via a facile approach, which involved layer‐by‐layer stacking woven fabrics of quartz fibers according to specific arrangements, followed by polymer phase infiltration and subsequent hot pressing. The resulting composites demonstrate specific orientation relationships of fibers between layers with a hierarchical fiber structure akin to natural fish scales. The mechanical properties, fracture toughness, and damage characteristics of the composites were investigated, unveiling an anisotropic nature of damage tolerance of these composites which is closely associated with the types of bioinspired structures and weaving patterns of fabrics. This study may offer insights for the bioinspired design of damage‐tolerant man‐made materials, while aiding the understanding of their structure–property relationships.