Seashells are hard, protective outer layer created by an animal that lives in the sea. It can also mean the exoskeleton of an invertebrate. The shell is part of the body of the animal. Empty seashells are often found washed up on beaches by beachcombers. Sometimes, shells are empty. This is because the animal occupying it has died and have been eaten by another animal or have rotted out.
These seashells help mollusks to live in vary harsh conditions, and help to resist tremendous pressures on seabed. This type of protection has inspired scientist and engineers to study the shape and structure of seashells with a view to designing buildings and vehicles to protect their occupants.
In an effort to improve safety, engineers have analyzed two seashell form – bivalve and spiral.
Image from Pixabay
On the one hand, the bivalve was found to have ribbing on the exterior of the shell which help to direct stresses towards its hinge and outer edges. On the other hand, though, the curving exterior of a spiral shell help direct pressure toward its core and wide top. In both cases, their shape is instrumental in channeling pressure to their strongest area, which means in the event of impact, less harm will occur to the mollusk.
Several comparative stress tests were run on real shells and on simple hemispheres and cones (produced on a 3-D printer) that mimicked shells’ shapes and composition. It was found that natural seashells’ complex surfaces nearly doubled their ability to withstand pressure when compared to the simple shapes.
Commenting on the applications of this research, Scientific American says: “If you wind up driving a shell-shaped car someday, it’ll be both stylish and designed to protect the soft bodies inside.”
Instruction
From the above passage, provide answers to the following questions
Questions
- How does empty seashell appear on beaches?
- Why are seashells often found at beaches empty?
- Only two forms of seashell are in existence. True or False
- What similarity does the two seashell shape have?
- What feature of the seashell makes it more efficient at withstanding pressure than other similar shapes?
- Where can the principle of seashell shape be applied?
Material was sourced from Awake!
