Computational approach to evaluating the strength of eggs: Implications for laying in organic egg production

Abstract

With the aim of characterizing the different stress patterns in several egg types and evaluate the resistivity of the eggshell while impacting in free fall, experimental tests and computational simulations have been performed on eggs of the species Gallus gallus (domestic hen), Struthio camelus (ostrich), and Testudo sp. (tortoise). The different types of failure were determined for each taxa and stress distribution maps were recorded and correlated between experimental results and computational simulations using Finite Element Analysis (FEA). For domestic hens, the numerical results obtained in both tests have highly correlation with the results obtained in previous works; for ostrich (Struthio camelus) and tortoise (Testudo sp.) eggshells, the new data represent a very good tool to understand in further works the failure mechanisms of the eggshells. More interestingly, the present study provides the first empirical and mathematic results that allow establishing confident safety interval related to the laying process in the poultry industry.

Digital imaging assisted geometry of chicken eggs using Hügelschäffer's model

“…On the basis of this approach, the Hügelschäffer's model was selected as an equation that completely meets the basic principles and requirements for a comprehensive egg shape description. Using the exact description of the geometric shape of the eggs, the principles of a common engineering method known as Finite Element Analysis (FEA) have been developed and widely used to study the strength properties of the shell (Coucke et al, 1998;Nedomová et al, 2009;Perianu et al, 2010;Sellés et al, 2019).…”

Microstructural and crystallographic evolution of palaeognath (Aves) eggshells

“…Thus, mechanical strength of eggshell is an important factor for the reproductive biology of every oviparous amniote. Experimental compression or simulation studies have shown that eggshell thickness has a positive correlation with the strength of eggshells ( Ar et al, 1979 ; Hahn et al, 2017 ; Juang et al, 2017 ; López et al, 2021 ), and this relationship may even provide a way to infer contact incubation in Palaeognathae (including extinct taxa; Huynen et al, 2010 ; Yen et al, 2021 ) as well as laying process of Palaeognathae ( Sellés et al, 2019 ). However, López et al, 2021 showed that microstructures, which was usually not considered in earlier studies such as finite element method, of avian eggshell can further contribute to the strength of the eggshells.…”

Diffusion analysis of carbon dioxide released by egg respiration at different storage temperatures based on FLUENT

“…Perianu et al (2010) simulated both the dynamic characteristics of eggshell and the force of the fluid inside eggshell. Sellés et al (2019) took advantages of finite element to describe the different stress patterns in several egg types, and analysed the stress on the eggshell in free fall impact. Fabbri et al (2011) determined the amount of CO 2 diffusion in various egg parts such as thin and thick albumen, and yolk by using the finite element model.…”