Deformation and fracture of dika nut (Irvingia gabonensis) under uni-axial compressive loading

Fracture behaviour of dika nut under quasi-static loading along the longitudinal axis and the transverse axis was investigated. The fracture resistance of the nut was measured in terms of average force, deformation and toughness at nutshell fracture, and nut stiffness. Physical dimensions and shape of the nut, to provide for complementary input in design of handling equipment, were also determined. The force required to crack the nut increased with nut diameter but was not significantly different in both loading orientations. The mean cracking force was in the range of 2.06 to 3.67 kN. The compression of the nut exhibited a pronounced linearity between load and deflection. Dika nuts loaded along the transverse axis required less energy for nutshell fracture than those loaded along the longitudinal axis. Minimum toughness occurred with the small size nuts loaded along the transverse axis, thus providing base-line data in future design of an appropriate nutcracker.