Wind-induced bending loads frequently cause failure of maize (corn) stalks. When failure occurs, it usually manifests as transverse buckling. Because this failure mode is closely related to transverse tissue stiffness, the purpose of this study was to develop a method for measuring the transverse Young's modulus of maize stalk rind and pith tissues. Short, disc-shaped stalk segments were used for this purpose. X-ray computed tomography was used to obtain the geometry of each specimen prior to testing. Each specimen was tested in two different configurations. Computed tomography data was used to create a specimen-specific finite element model of each test specimen. Data from the first testing configuration was used in conjunction with the finite element model to determine the Young's Modulus values for each specimen. The specimen-specific finite element models provided estimates of the stress states in the stem under transverse loading, and these stress states accurately predicted the location of failure in transverse test specimens. The entire testing method was validated using data from one test configuration to predict the structural response of each specimen during the second test configuration.
Keywords: Finite element modeling; Stiffness; Tissue properties; Transverse compression; Young's modulus.
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