Dynamic fracture of hen’s eggshell under impact loading: a combined experimental, theoretical and numerical study

Journal article

As a typical biological material from nature, the eggshell possesses a smooth macroscale appearance with various curvatures and hierarchical microscale morphology, which contribute to the superior mechanical properties of this lightweight brittle material. The research on the biomimicry of the eggshell has attracted much attention. For both biological reproduction and the poultry industry, the dynamic fracture of the eggshell is a key issue and quite complex due to the thin-walled structure of the eggshell and the strong fluid-solid interaction between the eggshell and its content. In our work, the dynamic fracture of hen’s eggshells under the impact and the influence of the content are thoroughly investigated experimentally, numerically, and theoretically. The responses of eggshells are similar no matter what the content is and exhibit four stages under the same input kinetic energy. It is found that there are two self-protection mechanisms of an egg when subjected to impact, which serves as significant inspiration for the design of novel structures. Under the influence of curvatures, the non-simultaneous propagation of cracks in the thickness direction induces the hinge pattern and the spider-web-like crack network. In addition to its role in biology, the viscosity of the albumen can provide resistance to damage and protect the eggshell during the impact. It is suggested that exterior curvature and interior content can be optimized to absorb dynamic impact energy when designing a thin-walled structure.

Authors: Chen, C; Wang, X; Liu, Y; Li, Y; Tang, K

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Journal: Thin-Walled Structures
• Volume: 203
• Article number: 112192
• Publication date: 2024-07-06
• Acceptance date: 2024-07-03
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tws.2024.112192
• EISSN: 1879-3223
• ISSN: 0263-8231
• Language: English
• Keywords: thin-walled structure; dynamic fracture; biomimicry; eggshell