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

Abstract

With the aim of characterising the different stress patterns in several egg types and evaluating 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 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 ( S. camelus ) and tortoise ( Testudo sp.) eggshells, this new data represented a useful 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 confident safety intervals to be established that relate to the laying process in the poultry industry. • Understand the mechanical of eggshells are crucial for egg production. • Eggshell resistivity is evaluated using both empirical and computational tests. • Newly classification of failure helps to understand failure mechanisms. • For first time, ostrich and turtle eggshell mechanics are provided. • Results set relationships between impact velocity, substrate, and type of failure.