Using hot steam exposure to reveal mechanical properties of spaghetti beams and columns.

Abstract

We demonstrate that the bending evolution of spaghetti beams and columns by hot steam reveals several food-related properties: time-dependent Young modulus, the diffusion coefficient of steam molecules penetrating the material, the partial Fickian behavior of molecule diffusion, and a logistic-like evolution of the column-bending angle. The time-lapse images of the spaghetti strands were recorded for estimating the strand's curvatures and, from these estimates, the strand's Young's moduli were calculated. Freely hung cantilever spaghetti beams and columns were exposed to hot steam from boiling water so that the images were recorded in real time while the beam or column bent undisturbedly. It is observed that the Young modulus decreased exponentially with time after an appropriate considerable period of exposure. The diffusion coefficient of water molecules can be estimated from the bending evolution, and our data matched with the experimental data reported by others. The method presented in this paper provides an alternative method for estimating the diffusion coefficient of vapor molecules penetrating the materials. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The elastic modulus is estimated by merely measuring the angle made by the spaghetti's free end in the form of a cantilever beam or column. The measurement is performed remotely. Using a simple calculation, the error of estimation is less than 5%. The chef can use the simulated result for estimating the "doneness" of the spaghetti being boiled or steamed by clamping a piece of spaghetti horizontally and guessing the angle of the free end.