Study of the composition, structure, and effect of water absorption on the wall of bovine hooves from the Brazilian Northeast region

Authors

  • Wendell Bruno Almeida Bezerra Instituto Militar de Engenharia
  • Ulisses Oliveira Costa Instituto Militar de Engenharia
  • Fabio da Costa Garcia Filho Instituto Militar de Engenharia - IME
  • Ulisses Oliveira Costa Instituto Militar de Engenharia - IME
  • Sergio Neves Monteiro Instituto Militar de Engenharia - IME

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22491/rmct.v40i3.11418.pt

Keywords:

keratin, bovine hooves, water absorption, composition, structure

Abstract

Over thousands of years natural materials have evolved to complex and multifunctional hierarchical structures. An example of this, bovine hooves are keratinous materials differentiated from other types of hooves whose structure and composition are not yet as well-known as that of equine hooves. Thus, the present work aimed to investigate the influence of absorbed water on the structure and composition of bovine hooves from the Northeast region of Brazil. The hulls were evaluated using X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effect of water on the amorphous keratin matrix of the hooves can be observed through DRX and FTIR analyses, as well as identifying different zones and dimensions of the tubules in the structure through SEM images. The results present a starting point for the correlation between structure and impact absorption mechanisms in these materials.

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Published

2026-02-18

How to Cite

Bezerra, W. B. A., Oliveira Costa, U., da Costa Garcia Filho, F., Oliveira Costa, U. ., & Neves Monteiro, S. (2026). Study of the composition, structure, and effect of water absorption on the wall of bovine hooves from the Brazilian Northeast region. Revista Militar De Ciência E Tecnologia, 40(3). https://doi.org/10.22491/rmct.v40i3.11418.pt