Unaffiliated, Plasencia, Spain.
Sci Rep. 2021 Nov 11;11(1):22134. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-01679-4.
Several methodologies related to the biomechanical risk assessment and the uprooting and breaking potential of palms are reviewed and evaluated in this study. Also a simple mathematical model was designed, to simulate the results of critical wind speed predictions for a tall coconut palm by using classic beam theory and Brazier buckling. First, the review presents arguments that assess the applicability of some influential claims and tree and palm risk assessment methods that have been amply marketed in the last 20 years. Then, the analysis goes beyond the classical procedures and theories that have influenced the arboricultural industry and related press so far. And afterwards, rationale behind several postulated ideas are presented, that are hoped to be fruitful in the path towards a new biomechanical theory for the biomechanical risk assessment of palms. The postulated model envisages the palm stem as a viscoelastic and hollow cylinder that is not only prone to buckling, ovalization and kinking, but also fatigue, shear, splitting and crack propagation. This envisaging was also the main reason why simple Brazier buckling formulation was experimentally applied to simulate the breaking risk of a cocostem. This study also enables a better understanding of the wide range of factors that may influence the mechanical behaviour of trees and palms under (wind) loading.
本研究回顾和评估了几种与生物力学风险评估以及棕榈树连根拔起和折断潜力相关的方法。还设计了一个简单的数学模型，利用经典梁理论和 Brazier 屈曲来模拟高大椰子树临界风速预测的结果。首先，综述提出了一些论点，评估了过去 20 年来广泛营销的一些有影响力的说法以及树木和棕榈树风险评估方法的适用性。然后，分析超越了迄今为止影响树木栽培行业和相关媒体的经典程序和理论。最后，提出了几个假定想法背后的基本原理，希望为棕榈树生物力学风险评估的新生物力学理论提供有价值的思路。所提出的模型将棕榈树茎视为粘弹性空心圆柱体，不仅容易发生屈曲、椭圆化和扭结，而且容易发生疲劳、剪切、劈裂和裂纹扩展。这一设想也是实验应用简单 Brazier 屈曲公式来模拟椰干的折断风险的主要原因。本研究还使人们更好地理解了在（风）荷载下可能影响树木和棕榈树力学行为的广泛因素。
