When an egg is compressed between flat parallel surfaces so that the compression surfaces
contact the poles, the egg fractures most frequently at the large pole. However, the location of
the movingsurface may affect this frequency. In compressionat the equator the moving surface
has no effect. For machine design an eggshell can be considered as a Hookean element with a
limited energy absorbing capacity. In predicting the force to fracture the shell, from a non-
destructive compression test, greater accuracy is achieved as the force applied approaches the
force at failure.
Any internal pressure developed in turn stresses the eggshell. In this study we employ a finite
element method to determine the effectsof various parameters, including: egg size and shape, shell
thickness and permeability, wash water temperature and duration ofexposure.