Texture of the Freshwater Shells from the Unionidae Family Collected in the Czech Republic Investigated by X-ray and Neutron Diffraction
Monika Kučeráková,
Jan Rohlíček,
Stanislav Vratislav,
Markéta Jarošová,
Ladislav Kalvoda,
Dmitry Nikolayev,
Tatiana Lychagina,
Karel Douda
Affiliations
Monika Kučeráková
Department of Solid State Engineering, Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, 11519 Prague, Czech Republic
Jan Rohlíček
Department of Structure Analysis, Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, 18221 Prague, Czech Republic
Stanislav Vratislav
Department of Solid State Engineering, Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, 11519 Prague, Czech Republic
Markéta Jarošová
Department of Structure Analysis, Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, 18221 Prague, Czech Republic
Ladislav Kalvoda
Department of Solid State Engineering, Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, 11519 Prague, Czech Republic
Dmitry Nikolayev
Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, 141980 Dubna, Russia
Tatiana Lychagina
Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, 141980 Dubna, Russia
Karel Douda
Department of Zoology and Fisheries, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, 16521 Prague, Czech Republic
Bivalve shells exhibit extreme mechanical resistance despite using a minimal amount of material. The shells thus represent an inspiration and a source of information for environmental, geological, and engineering sciences. In this study, two species of freshwater shells from the Unionidae family, collected in the Czech Luznice River, were investigated with respect to their crystallographic preferred orientation by means of X-ray and neutron diffraction. The observed texture was found to be of a strongly uniaxial type, with the strength increasing along the shell growth direction. The c-axis of aragonite does not change during growth and its alignment remains perpendicular to the outer surface of the shell