Cone Axis Research Articles

The enigmatic Triassic ovulate reproductive structures of Dordrechtites are recurved cupules fundamentally comparable to the cupules of Doylea and similar plants.

Recent paleobotanical discoveries have renewed interest in the distinctively recurved, seed-bearing cupules of Mesozoic plants, which are important for understanding seed plant phylogeny and the origin of the second integument of the angiosperm ovule. Reanalysis of the enigmatic seed-bearing organ Dordrechtites elongatus from the Triassic of South Africa, the type species of the genus, combined with information from similar material from Antarctica, Argentina and Australia, indicates that Dordrechtites is a highly modified lateral branch of a seed cone. Short lateral projections from a primary cone axis each bear several Dordrechtites units. Each unit consists of a long stalk bearing a straight to sometimes recurved cupule with a long distal extension beyond the cupule apex. Each cupule is flattened in a plane perpendicular to the stalk and distal projection and contains up to two seeds. Structural similarities between Dordrechtites and the cupules of Doyleales indicate that they are homologous, providing new evidence for a close relationship. The persistent cupule stalk and apical extension of Dordrechtites, combined with the flattened cupule, suggests modification for wind and water dispersal.

Swirling Due to Misaligned Perception-Dependent Motility.

A system of particles with motility variable in terms of a vision-type of perception is investigated by a combination of Langevin dynamics simulations in two-dimensional systems and an analytical approach based on conservation law principles. Persistent swirling with predetermined direction is here induced by differentiating the self-propulsion direction and the perception cone axis. Clusters can have a fluidlike center with a rotating outer layer or display a solidlike rotation driven by the outer layer activity. Discontinuous motility with misaligned perception might therefore serve as a powerful self-organization strategy in microrobots.

Nanoindentation creep mechanism of gradient ultrafine lamellar γ+Ni5Zr eutectic using electromagnetic levitation coupled with fall casting

A quaternary Ni50Fe20Cr20Zr10 eutectic alloy was designed based on the Ni–Fe–Cr alloy, and the gradient ultrafine lamellar γ+Ni5Zr eutectic was achieved by means of electromagnetic levitation coupled with fall casting (EML-FC). The temperature field, the process of interface migration, microstructural characteristics and the nanoindentation creep property of the alloy were systematically analyzed. During the rapid solidification, since the conical surface served as the main heat dissipation channel, the solid-liquid interface moved from the conical surface towards the top of the cone axis. The gradual decrease in cooling rate from 105 to 103 K s−1 along this direction led to the formation of the gradient ultrafine lamellar γ + Ni5Zr eutectic with the size from 59 ± 12 to 140 ± 36 nm. The nanoindentation creep behavior and mechanism were analyzed by estimating the strain rate sensitivity and activation volume. As the interlamellar spacing of the eutectic decreased, the nanohardness and creep resistance of the alloy gradually increased owing to an increase in grain boundary density and the enhancement of coupling effect between dislocation and grain boundary. In addition, the creep behavior of alloy was sensitive to the loading rate. Increasing the loading rate led to an increase in strain rate sensitivity from 7.69 × 10−3 to 18.89 × 10−3 and a decrease in activation volume from 29 to 12 b3. This special eutectic structure and its improved nanohardness and creep resistance properties offered a potential opportunity to explore a new generation of alloys for the hot-end components of 972 K ultra-supercritical fossil-fired power plants.

Numerical study and optimization of a conical autoclave receiver

In this article, we present a mathematical model applied to the concentration of solar energy. This system is designed to prepare steam to meet the sterilization needs of medical instruments. A conical concentrator coupled to an autoclave in cylindrical form is placed in the conical reflector axis. We present a mathematical model explaining the thermal behaviour of water in a medical autoclave. The validation of the model was well done with the literature results. Our results indicate that the system produces saturated steam and takes 20 to 30 min, depending on climatic conditions and autoclave dimensions. The sufficient time to reach a temperature of more than 121 °C where no organism reproduces after being kept in an autoclave at 126 °C for 6 min or at 121 °C for at least 20 min. The simulation results encourage us to optimize the concentrator device to obtain a useful solar sterilizer, using the theoretical model as a safe guide to achieve this.

Polymer translocation: Effects of confinement.

We investigate the influence of varying confinement on the dynamics of polymer translocation through a cone-shaped channel. For this, a linear polymer chain is modeled using self-avoiding walks on a square lattice. The cis side of a cone-shaped channel has a finite volume, while the trans side has a semi-infinite space. The confining environment is varied either by changing the position of the back wall while keeping the apex angle fixed or altering the apex angle while keeping the position of the back wall fixed. In both cases, the effective space ϕ, which represents the number of monomers in a chain relative to the total number of accessible sites within the cone, is reduced due to the imposed confinement. Consequently, the translocation dynamics are affected. We analyze the entropy of the confined system as a function of ϕ, which exhibits nonmonotonic behavior. We also calculate the free energy associated with the confinement as a function of a virtual coordinate for different positions of the back wall (base of the cone) along the conical axis for various apex angles. Employing the Fokker-Planck equation, we calculate the translocation time as a function of ϕ for different solvent conditions across the channel. Our findings indicate that the translocation time decreases as ϕ increases, but it eventually reaches a saturation point at a certain value of ϕ. Moreover, we highlight the possibility of controlling the translocation dynamics by manipulating the solvent quality across the channel. Furthermore, our investigation delves into the intricacies of polymer translocation through a cone-shaped channel, considering both repulsive and neutral interactions with the channel wall. This exploration unveils nuanced dynamics and sheds light on the factors that significantly impact translocation within confined channels.

The structure and vasculature in pollen cones of Taxus (Taxaceae, Gymnospermae) and its evolutionary significance

AbstractThe pollen cone structure and vasculature of Taxus baccata and T. wallichiana were investigated in the context of comparative studies in other conifers. The results indicate that the simple, flower‐like pollen cone of Taxus could be derived from an ancestral compound inflorescence as in Cephalotaxus and Pseudotaxus. In Cephalotaxus, each lateral flower‐like structure represents an entire pollen cone, compared with a single perisporangiate microsporangiophore in Pseudotaxus. The microsporangiophores are exclusively perisporangiate in both Pseudotaxus and Taxus, but in Pseudotaxus they are inserted in the axil of a pherophyll. By a simple reduction of these pherophylls, the Taxus pollen cone is formed—a strongly reduced inflorescence with flowers reduced to perisporangiate microsporangiophores, which are inserted directly at the cone axis, without pherophylls. Thus, the perisporangiate Taxus microsporangiophores correspond to the axillary flowers in Cephalotaxus and Pseudotaxus. The Taxus flower results from a strong reduction of an ancestral Cephalotaxus‐like flower type (lateral pollen cones), where all remaining hyposporangiate microsporangiophores have fused to a radial structure during evolution. Thus, perisporangiate Taxus microsporangiophores represent radial synangia and not peltate microsporophylls, suggesting that hyposporangiate microsporangiophores are the ancestral condition in Taxaceae s.l.

Characterization of the DART Impact Ejecta Plume on Dimorphos from LICIACube Observations

We modeled the geometry and the three-dimensional orientation of the ejecta cone triggered by the impact of the DART spacecraft on the asteroid Dimorphos. We used eight LUKE images of the impact acquired by the CubeSat LICIACube that flew by the Didymos system shortly after the impact. These images, which show the ejecta cone in both face-on and side-on profiles, enabled us to reconstruct the ejecta cone in inertial space. We started our model as a simple cone with a circular base and developed it to a rotated cone with an elliptical base that best fit the data. The cone axis points to R.A., decl. (in J2000): , +. The cone is characterized by two perpendicular half-angles of and a rotation of ω = 12° around its axis. The apex of the cone is located near the center of Dimorphos within 15 m. The intersection of the cone and the surface of Dimorphos (surface enclosed by the cone) would correspond to a crater with a maximum radius of about 65 m. The characterization of the cone axis is directly related to the computation of the momentum enhancement factor (β) of the impact, and it hence proves the crucial need of studying impacts in the context of planetary defence scenarios. The results of this work could potentially be used to constrain whether the impact took place in a strength-dominated or a gravity-dominated regime. This work shows the important scientific return of the LICIACube CubeSat in the context of planetary defence.

A Single Ejection Model of the DART/Dimorphos Debris Trail

The collision of the NASA DART spacecraft with asteroid Dimorphos resulted in the formation of a distinctive and long-lived debris trail, formed by the action of solar radiation pressure on ejected particles. This trail briefly displayed a double appearance, which has been interpreted as the result of a double ejection. We present a model that can produce a transient double trail without the need to assume a double ejection. Our model explains the appearance of the double trail as a projection of the cone walls when viewed from a large angle to the cone axis and avoids the problem of producing dust in two epochs from a single, instantaneous impact. The particles follow a broken power-law size distribution, with differential indices q = 2.7 ± 0.2 (1 μm ≤ a ≤ 2 mm), 3.9 ± 0.1 (2 mm < a ≤ 1 cm), and 4.2 ± 0.2 (1 cm < a ≤ 20 cm). We find that the total trail mass in particles from 1 μm to 20 cm in size (for an assumed density 3500 kg m−3) is ∼1.7 × 107 kg, rising to 2.2 × 107 kg, when extended to boulders up to 3.5 m in radius. This corresponds to 0.4%–0.6% of the mass of Dimorphos.

Large-incidence-angle multiple-beam two-plasmon decay instability in inertial confinement fusion

A multi-dimensional code FLAME-MD solving fluid-like laser-plasma instabilities' (LPIs) equations has been developed and is used to study multiple-beam two-plasmon decay (TPD) instability relevant to a laser-entrance-hole window burn-off scenario in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments. It is found that TPD can be collectively driven by multiple beams incident at large incidence angles with respect to the electron density gradient at a very low threshold. The polarization configuration of the laser beams is a key factor determining the way of sharing common daughter electron plasma waves (EPWs). The p-polarized beams arranged on the same incidence cone can collectively drive common EPWs along the cone axis. The common-wave sharing mechanisms among the s-polarized beams are largely dependent on the geometry of the beams and are less robust. The simulation results also show that the p-polarized beams are dominating the multiple-beam TPD processes. The common EPWs along the cone axis can accelerate energetic electrons toward the capsule inside the hohlraum and, therefore, pose a fuel-preheat risk to ICF implosions.

An integrative view on the systematic position of the cupressophyteCephalotaxus

AbstractWe made an in‐depth review of historical studies of the cupressophyte conifer genusCephalotaxusSiebold &amp; Zucc. with an emphasis on its systematic position. We suggest that the systematic position of the genus is better understood using an integrative approach, so the evolution of phenetic characters is discussed within the context of recent phylogenomics. We propose that the genus should be classified as a separate family Cephalotaxaceae belonging to the clade consisting of Cupressaceae, Cephalotaxaceae, and Taxaceae; the family Cephalotaxaceae is sister to the Taxaceae but not nested within the Taxaceae and is characterized by a unique set of characters including morphology, anatomy, embryology, and chemistry. The family Cephalotaxaceae shows transitional characters between the Cupressaceae and the Taxaceae; the family possesses female cones with a primary cone axis bearing 5–8 pairs of decussate bracts, which is similar to the typical female cones of the Cupressaceae, on the one hand, and may have given rise to the reduced female cone of the Taxaceae with one terminal ovule partially or completely enclosed in a fleshy aril. In parallel, the compound male cone of the Cephalotaxaceae evolved into the seemingly “simple” male cones of the Taxaceae by means of reduction, elimination, and fusion.

Image-Guided Measurement of Radiation Force Induced by Focused Ultrasound Beams.

The radiation force balance (RFB) is a widely used method for measuring acoustic power output of ultrasonic transducers. The reflecting cone target is attractive due to its simplicity and long-term stability, at a reasonable cost. However, accurate measurements using this method depend on the alignment between the ultrasound beam and cone axes, especially for highly focused beams utilized in therapeutic applications. With the advent of dual-mode ultrasound arrays (DMUAs) for imaging and therapy, image-guided measurements of acoustic output using the RFB method can be used to improve measurement accuracy. In this article, we describe an image-guided RFB measurement of focused DMUA beams using a widely used commercial instrument. DMUA imaging is used to optimize the alignment between the acoustic beam and reflecting cone axes. In addition to image-guided alignment, DMUA echo data is used to track the displacement of the cone, which provides an auxiliary measurement of acoustic power. Experimental results using a DMUA prototype with [Formula: see text] shows that 1-2 mm of misalignment can result in 5%-14% error in the measured acoustic power. In addition to the use of B-mode image guidance for improving measurement accuracy, we present preliminary results demonstrating the benefit of displacement tracking using real-time DMUA imaging during the application of (sub)therapeutic focused beams. Displacement tracking provides a direct measurement of the radiation force with high sensitivity and follows the expected dependence on changes in amplitude and duty cycle (DC) of the focused ultrasound (FUS) beam. This could lead to simpler, more reliable methods for measuring acoustic power based on the radiation force principle. Combined with appropriate computational modeling, the direct measurement of acoustic radiation force could lead to reliable dosimetry in situ in emerging applications such as transcranial FUS (tFUS) therapies.

Effects of asymmetric cooling and surface wettability on the orientation of the freezing tip

Freezing of water droplets placed on the bare and superhydrophobic surfaces of polymer wedges is studied both experimentally and computationally. Two-dimensional numerical calculations of the transient temperature field in a chilled polymer wedge show that the direction of heat flux from the droplet through the thermal contact region with the wedge differs significantly from that from the normal to the wedge surface. A novel approximate computational model is proposed that takes into account the variable area of the water freezing front in the droplet. This model gives a quantitative estimate of the faster freezing of the droplet on the bare surface. The obtained numerical results agree with the laboratory measurements. The velocity of the crystallization front and the droplet deformation including the so-called freezing tip formation are monitored in the experiment. The direction of the freezing cone axis appears to be noticeably different for the cases of bare and superhydrophobic wedge surfaces. This is explained by the fact that the direction of the freezing cone axis is controlled by the local direction of the heat flux. For a hydrophobic wedge surface, the deviation of the freezing tip from the vertical is smaller, because the reduced thermal contact area reduces the influence of the heat flux direction at the wedge surface.

Dissecting the active galactic nucleus in Circinus – III. VLT/FORS2 polarimetry confirms dusty cone illuminated by a tilted accretion disc

ABSTRACT We present polarimetric maps of the Circinus galaxy nucleus in the BVRI bands, obtained with VLT/FORS2. Circinus is the closest Seyfert 2 galaxy and harbours an archetypal obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN). Recent high angular resolution imaging revealed that a major fraction of its mid-infrared (MIR) emission is coming from the polar region. Previously, we demonstrated that these observations are consistent with a model of a compact dusty disc and a hyperboloid shell, resembling a hollow cone on larger scales. Here, we focus on the AGN core, up to 40 pc from the central engine, and compare the observations to the radiative transfer models. Polarization maps reveal a conical structure, coinciding with the ionization cone. The wavelength-dependence of the polarization degree indicates that scattering on dust grains is producing polarization. The observed polarization degree ($\approx 1-3{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$) is lower than predicted by the models; however, this is only a lower limit, since stellar emission dominates the total flux in the optical. The observed polarization angle (≈30°) is reproduced by the model of a dusty disc with a hollow cone that is illuminated by a tilted anisotropic central source. An accretion disc aligned with the ionization cone axis, and alternative dust geometries, such as a paraboloid shell, or a torus enveloped by ambient dust, are inconsistent with the data. We conclude that the optical polarimetric imaging supports earlier evidence for the presence of dust in the polar region, tentatively associated with dusty outflows.

Research on hydrogen adsorption characteristics of Pt decorated cup-stacked carbon nanotubes

A kind of new carbon-based material called cup-stacked carbon nanotubes decorated by Pt atom (CSCNTs-Pt) is analyzed to hydrogen adsorption by density functional theory (DFT). The electron density difference, partial density of states, and electrostatic potential are used to display hydrogen adsorption behaviors on CSCNTs-Pt substrate. The optimization results show that only one hydrogen molecule can be chemically adsorbed by the polarization effect of Pt and the others are physically lateralized by Kubas interaction where H H bond lengths of adsorbed hydrogen molecules are increased. Moreover, the hydrogen molecule near the end of the cone axis is hard to chemisorption due to curvature. Compared with planar graphene, single-wall carbon nanotubes, and nanocones, up to eight hydrogen molecules can be accommodated under the substrate because the ninth hydrogen molecule breaks original adsorption stability. With the increase of hydrogen molecules from one to eight, Pt electron transfer is promoted with enhanced orbital hybridization. • The Multiple H 2 adsorption behavior on CSCNTs decorated by Pt atoms is studied. • The CGL-Pt substrate can adsorb up to eight hydrogen molecules, and H H bond of all molecules are stretched. • Only one hydrogen molecule is chemically adsorbed by polarization., while others are physically lateralized by Kubas coordination. • The hydrogen molecule near the end of the cone axis is not prone to chemisorption due to the existence of curvature, and the chemisorbed hydrogen molecule on the CGL-Pt substrate is separated into two hydrogen atoms. • An increase in Hydrogen molecule numbers exacerbates Pt electron transfer.

Hexicladia, a new genus of the Cisuralian conifer from Hexi Corridor, China

Enriching our knowledge of Paleozoic conifers helps our understanding of plant diversification and climate change in this period. Here we report a compression conifer with well-preserved leaf twigs and seed cones discovered in the Cisuralian Shanxi Formation in Yongchang, Gansu Province, northwest China. The conifer was identified as a new genus, Hexicladia (H. yongchangensis gen. et sp. nov.), according to detailed morphological comparisons of vegetative and reproductive organs with related fossil genera of Paleozoic conifers. The vegetative shoots have helically-arranged ascending branches. The leaves are spirally arranged and broadly attached. The seed cones are terminal and erect, with several bract-scale complexes around the cone axis. The new fossil is assigned to the Voltziales, based on its whole architecture, and its similarities to some “walchian” conifers. Nevertheless, the discovery of Hexicladia gen. nov. adds to our knowledge of Paleozoic conifers, and reveals that conifers had already evolved complex features in the early Permian.

Heat transfer characteristics of jet impingement onto the concave surface of a cone

ABSTRACT Heat transfer coefficient measurements for jet impingement onto the concave surface of a cone with apex angles equal to 30° and 70° are reported in this study. Static pressure measurements along the cone surface are also reported which aid in explaining the results from the heat transfer measurements. The conical geometry finds application for the heating of aircraft gas turbine engine nose bullet region which could experience ice formation whenever aircraft operates at higher altitudes. The concave surface of the cone is heated by impinging hot air tapped from the compressor. The heat transfer coefficients, which are significantly different compared to flat surface impingement, and are scarcely available, are reported in this study. The influence of the jet axis coincident with the cone axis and impinging into apex region was studied first. The methodology where a thin stainless-steel foil is heated with a known heat flux by passing electric current through it and then measuring the detailed surface temperature using an infrared thermal camera, was used to compute the wall Nusselt distribution. The Nusselt number variation is presented as a function of nondimensional apex to nozzle spacing (L/D) and the nondimensional axis displacement (O/D). Three different diameter (D equal to 10 mm,14 mm and 20 mm) pipes were used for the concentric impingement case and the Nusselt number distribution was observed not depend on the injection diameter. The jet Reynolds number was varied between 25000 and 82000. The peak Nusselt number values are similar to those for flat plate impingement and do not occur at the cone apex, but at a nondimensional distance between 3.2 and 3.9 for 4.25 < L/D < 10.25 for the 30° cone. The peak Nusselt number values increase by almost 30% with decrease in the L/D from 10.2 to 3.0. Wall static pressure measurements indicated that the peak Nusselt number values occur in regions where the interaction between the incoming and outgoing streams is strongest – these regions occur at distances downstream from the stagnation region toward cone exit. The peak heat transfer coefficient location could not be obtained for the 70° cone, but the measured maximum values are higher by 30–50% compared to those for the 30° case. The jet is able to penetrate further toward the apex of the cone for 70° cone compared to 30° cone shifting the peak heat transfer locations closer to the apex for larger apex angle case. There is insignificant influence of jet diameter on Nusselt number variation for the three diameter values investigated in this study. The influence of displacing the jet axis by a distance equal to half the jet diameter in a direction perpendicular to the cone axis was also studied but detailed measurements were possible only for the 30° cone. Two semi-circular regions, one close to the impingement tube and the other away from the tube, displaying similar heat transfer coefficient behavior were observed. A peak in the Nusselt number occurs in each semi-circular region and the magnitude of the peaks are nearly same and they lie on either side of the peak location observed for the concentric impingement case when the flow geometric parameters are similar for the two cases. The measurements for the 70° cone exhibited all features of the 30° cone but the maximum values were higher by nearly 40% for this case.

Ultrahigh Carrier Mobilities in Ferroelectric Domain Wall Corbino Cones at Room Temperature.

Recently, electrically conducting heterointerfaces between dissimilar band insulators (such as lanthanum aluminate and strontium titanate) have attracted considerable research interest. Charge transport and fundamental aspects of conduction have been thoroughly explored. Perhaps surprisingly, similar studies on conceptually much simpler conducting homointerfaces, such as domain walls, are not nearly so well developed. Addressing this disparity, magnetoresistance is herein reported in approximately conical 180° charged domain walls, in partially switched ferroelectric thin-film single-crystal lithium niobate. This system is ideal for such measurements: first, the conductivity difference between domains and domain walls is unusually large (a factor of 1013 ) and hence currents driven through the thin film, between planar top and bottom electrodes, are overwhelmingly channeled along the walls; second, when electrical contact is made to the top and bottom of the domain walls and a magnetic field is applied along their cone axes, then the test geometry mirrors that of a Corbino disk: a textbook arrangement for geometric magnetoresistance measurement. Data imply carriers with extremely high room-temperature Hall mobilities of up to ≈3700 cm2 V-1 s-1 . This is an unparalleled value for oxide interfaces (and for bulk oxides) comparable to mobilities in other systems seen at cryogenic, rather than at room, temperature.

Mass flows and their behaviors in the SS 433–W 50 system

Abstract We propose a scenario to interpret the overall observational features of the SS 433–W 50 system. The most unique features of SS 433 are the presence of the precessing, mildly relativistic jets and the obscuration of the central engine, which are considered to be due to a supercritical accretion on to the central compact object. The jets are likely to be ejected from the innermost region of the accretion flow. The concept of the accretion ring (Inoue, 2021, PASJ, 73, 795) is applied to the outer boundary of the accretion flow and the ring is supposed to have a precession. The accretion ring is expected to extend a two-layer outflow of a thin excretion disk and a thick excretion flow, as well as the accretion flow. The thin excretion disk is discussed as eventually forming the optically thick excretion belt along the Roche lobe around the compact object, contributing to the obscuration of the central engine. The thick excretion flow is likely to turn to the supersonic wind (disk wind) with the terminal velocity of ∼108 cm s−1 and to collide with the supernova remnant (SNR) matter at the distance of ∼1018 cm. The interactions of the jets with the disk wind are considered to cause the features of the jets observed at the distances of 1014–1015 cm and ∼1017 cm. Finally, it is discussed that the jets are braked by the SNR matter at the distance of ∼10 pc and the momentum carried by the jet is transferred to the SNR matter shoved by the jet. The SNR matter pushed to the inside of the precession cone is expected to gather along the cone axis and to form the elongated structures in the east and west directions from the main W 50 structure.

Texture, Nanotexture, and Structure of Carbon Nanotube-Supported Carbon Cones.

Graphene-based carbon micro-/nano-cones were prepared by depositing pyrolytic carbon onto individual carbon nanotubes as supports using a specific chemical vapor deposition process. They were investigated by means of high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, low-voltage aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and molecular dynamics modeling. While the graphenes were confirmed to be perfect, the cone texture was determined to be preferably scroll-like, with the scroll turns being parallel to the cone axis. Correspondingly, many of the concentrically displayed graphenes (actually scroll turns) exhibit the same helicity vector. When radii of curvature are large enough, this could allow for coherent stacking to locally take place in spite of the lattice shift induced by the curvature. A particular care was taken on investigating the cone apexes, in which a specific type of graphene termination was observed, here designated as the "zip" defect. Calculations determined a plausible stable structure that such a defect type may correspond to. This defect was found to generate a very low Raman ID/ID' band ratio (1.5), for which physical reasons are proposed. Combining our results and that of the literature allowed proposing an identification chart for a variety of defects able to affect the graphene lattice or edges.

The Structural and Mechanical Basis for Passive‐Hydraulic Pine Cone Actuation

The opening and closing of pine cones is based on the hygroscopic behavior of the individual seed scales around the cone axis, which bend passively in response to changes in environmental humidity. Although prior studies suggest a bilayer architecture consisting of lower actuating (swellable) sclereid and upper restrictive (non‐ or lesser swellable) sclerenchymatous fiber tissue layers to be the structural basis of this behavior, the exact mechanism of how humidity changes are translated into global movement are still unclear. Here, the mechanical and hydraulic properties of each structural component of the scale are investigated to get a holistic picture of their functional interplay. Measurements of the wetting behavior, water uptake, and mechanical measurements are used to analyze the influence of hydration on the different tissues of the cone scales. Furthermore, their dimensional changes during actuation are measured by comparative micro‐computed tomography (µ‐CT) investigations of dry and wet scales, which are corroborated and extended by 3D‐digital image correlation‐based displacement and strain analyses, biomechanical testing of actuation force, and finite element simulations. Altogether, a model allowing a detailed mechanistic understanding of pine cone actuation is developed, which is a prime concept generator for the development of biomimetic hygromorphic systems.