title: A mechanics model of the compression of cells with finite initial contact area.
abstract: The effect of intercellular bonding on the stress-strain behavior of soft plant tissue is considered. In our mechanical model, a conglomerate of identical cells is arranged in a regular array. Each cell is pressurized and bonded across flat contact areas with adjacent cells in the direction of the applied load. The cell wall is a finitely-deformed mechanical membrane bounding an incompressible fluid (the cytoplasm). A nonlinear elastic constitutive law is presented that describes data for apple parenchyma. Results show that intercellular bonding has a strong effect on the macroscopic properties of the whole tissue. A larger intercellular contact area increases tissue stiffness and magnifies the effect of initial turgor pressure on tissue stiffness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Qiong
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Pitt
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ruina
mesh_terms: D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002450:Cell Communication; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000502:physiology; D008954:Models, Biological; D059828:Plant Cells; D013314:Stress, Mechanical