I am trying to measure the toughness of leaves. I have rigged up a system where I put a leaf on a cube of agar (15g agar per liter water) and drop an empty syringe with a piece of wire (not a needle) through a tube to puncture the leaf. Unfortunately, the weight of the empty syringe is sufficient to penetrate the leaf so I figured a tougher leaf would cause the wire to enter the agar less, thus making a shallower hole. Is there an equation to relate the force required to puncture the leaf to the amount of slowing the leaf exerts on the wire? I also don't know if the difference will be perceptible and perhaps I should find a lighter puncture object
Alex,
Why not simply load the leaf slowly with an increasing force?
(using your syringe and 'tube')
An impact test is a complicated thing - you're sensing something of the dynamic resiliance of the leaf - and without an accelerometer on the penetrating rod (!) you will not know the force at any instant in time.
Hi Alex,
Try checking with with Adam A. Pepi . He has some some work measuring leaf toughness.
Good luck,
Hannah
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