Hostname: page-component-74656f9884-2dmjx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-11-10T04:43:03.216Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Nuts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

Julian F. V. Vincent
Julian F. V. Vincent*
Affiliation:
Centre for Biomimetics, The University, Reading, RG6 2AT, UK
Get access

Abstract

The shell (pericarp) of nuts protects the seed from being eaten before it can germinate. It is presumably designed to resist fracture by external forces, and evolution will have optimised its design for this purpose. It appears that the material of larger shells, which will tend to be structurally more brittle, is tougher. However, the fracture mechanics theory for shells in compression is not available, nor the information on the biological selection pressures.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 292: Symposium S – Biomolecular Materials , 1992 , 35
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1993

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

[1] Roark, R. J. and Young, W. C., Formulas for stress and strain. 5th edn. McGraw-Hill Int. London (1975).Google Scholar
[2] Vincent, J. F. V., Adv. Bot. Res. 17, 235 (1990).Google Scholar
[3] Jennings, J. S. and Macmillan, N. H., J. Mater. Sci. 21, 1517 (1984).Google Scholar
[4] Lucas, P. W., Lowrey, T. K., Pereiras, B. P., Sarafis, V. and Kuhn, W., Funct. Ecol. 5, 545 (1991).Google Scholar
[5] Vincent, J. F. V. and Owers, P., J. Zool. Lond. 210, 55 (1986).Google Scholar