Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A method for characterizing the mechanical behaviour of hoof horn

  • Published:
Journal of Materials Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The hoof plays an important role in the health and well-being of dairy animals. Consequently, mechanical properties of the hoof horn and changes in this tissue with nutrition or environmental factors are important concerns. A novel experimental approach for evaluating the mechanical behaviour of hoof horn has been developed. The process is comprised of obtaining incremental slices of hoof horn, stamping samples from selected zones of the sectioned tissue, performing uniaxial tensile tests and evaluating the mechanical response using digital image correlation (DIC). From a combination of unique methods of extraction and evaluation, the process enables hoof horn tissue to be characterized as a function of distance from the dermal-epidermal junction, within specific regions of the claw and as a function of hydration. In addition, the methods enable both the elastic and inelastic response of the tissue to be quantified. A preliminary study was performed to validate the new approach. In this manuscript the methods of evaluation are described and demonstrated through an examination of the mechanical behaviour of bovine hoof horn at two different levels of hydration.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Instron Dynamite Universal Testing System, Model 8841, Canton, MA.

References

  1. Douglas JE, Mittal C, Thomason JJ, Jofriet JC (1996) J Exp Biol 199:1829

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Leach DH (1980) Ph.D. Dissertation. University of Saskatchewan, Department of Agricultural Engineering, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

  3. Leach DH, Zoerb GC (1983) Am J Vet Res 44:2190

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Van Duzee BF (1978) J Invest Dermatol 71:140

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Hinterhofer C, Apprich V, Ferguson JC, Stanek C (2005) Dtsch Tierarztl Wochenschr 112:142

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Winkler B, Margerison JK, Brennan C (2002) In: Shearer JK (ed) Proceedings of the 12th International Symposium on Lameness in Ruminants, p 314

  7. Zhang D, Rajkondawar P, Arola D, Tasch U (2002) In: Proceedings of the SEM Annual Conference on Theoretical, Experimental and Computational Mechanics, p 256

  8. Hoblet KH (2000) In: Eastridge ML (ed) Proceedings of the Tri-State Dairy Nutrition Conference, p 41

  9. Hedges VJ, Green LE, Blowey RW, Packington AJ, Bonser RHC (2002) In: Shearer JK (ed) Proceedings of the 12th International Symposium on Lameness in Ruminants, p 167

  10. Collis VJ, Green LE, Blowey RW, Packington AJ, Bonser RH, (2004) J Dairy Sci 87:2874

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Stern A, Geyer H, Morel I, Kessler J (1998) In: Lischer C, Ossent P (eds) Proceedings of the 10th International Symposium on Lameness in Ruminants, p 233

  12. Offer JE, Logue DN, Roberts DJ (1997) Anim Sci 65:143

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Reiling BA, Berger LL, Riskowski GL, Rompala RE (1992) J Anim Sci 70:313 (Abstr)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Seymour WM (2001) In: Proceedings of the 12th Annual Florida Ruminant Nutrition Symposium, p 70

  15. Laven RA, Livesey CT (2004) J Dairy Sci 87:1015

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Gregory N, Craggs L, Hobson N, Krogh C (2006) Food Chem Toxicol in press

  17. Reilly JD, Newlyn H, Cope B, Latham RJ, Collins S (2002) In: Shearer JK (ed) Proceedings of the 12th International Symposium on Lameness in Ruminants, p 275

  18. Arola D, Zhang D, Reprogel R, Zheng W, Tasch U (2002) In: Vossoughi J (ed) Proceedings of the 21st Southern Biomedical Engineering Conference, p 147

  19. Collins SN, Cope BC, Hopegood L, Latham RJ, Linford RG, Reilly JD (1998) J Mater Sci 33:5185

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Hopegood L, Collins S, Latham R, Reilly JD (2004) In: Alliston J, Chadd S, Ede A, Hemmings A, Hyslop J, Longland A, Moreton H, Moore-Colyer M (eds) Emerging equine science. British Society of Animal Science Publication 32, Nottingham University Press, p 169

  21. Hopegood L, Collins S, Cope B, Latham R, Newlyn H, Reilly JD (2003) Comp Biochem Phys 134A(Suppl):S44

    Google Scholar 

  22. Weaver AD, Andersson L, De Laistre Banting A, Demerzis PN, Knezevic PF, Peterse DJ, Sankovic F (1981) Vet Rec 108:117

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Baillie C, Southam C, Buxton A, Pavan P (2000) Adv Comp Lett 9:101

    Google Scholar 

  24. Peters WH, Ranson WF (1982) Opt Eng 21:427

    Google Scholar 

  25. Chu TC, Ranson WF, Sutton MA, Peters WH (1985) Exp Mech 25:232

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Zhang D, Arola D (2004) J Biomed Opt 9:691

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Zhang D, Arola D, Charalambides PC, Patterson MCL (2004) J Mater Sci 39:4495

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Thomason JJ, Biewener AA, Bertram JEA (1992) J Exp Biol 166:145

    Google Scholar 

  29. Bertram JEA, Gosline JM (1987) J Exp Biol 130:121

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Ley WB, Scott Pleasant R, Dunnington EA (1998) Equine Vet J 26:46

    Google Scholar 

  31. Kasapi MA, Gosline JM (1996) J Exp Biol 199:1133

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Kasapi MA, Gosline JM (1999) J Exp Biol 200:1639

    Google Scholar 

  33. Fraser RDB, Macrae TP, Rogers GE (1972) Keratins, C. C. Thomas Publisher, p 139

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanics, Shanghai University, 99 Shangda Road, Shanghai, 200444, P.R. China

    Dongsheng Zhang

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD, 21250, USA

    Dwayne D. Arola, Robert K. Reprogel, Wei Zheng & Uri Tasch

  3. Department of Animal and Food Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA

    Robert M. Dyer

Authors
  1. Dongsheng Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Dwayne D. Arola
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Robert K. Reprogel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Wei Zheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Uri Tasch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Robert M. Dyer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dwayne D. Arola.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zhang, D., Arola, D.D., Reprogel, R.K. et al. A method for characterizing the mechanical behaviour of hoof horn. J Mater Sci 42, 1108–1115 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-006-0614-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-006-0614-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation