jäykistyksiä

Jäykistyksiä is the plural form of jäykistyminen, a Finnish noun meaning stiffening or rigidification. The term is used across disciplines to describe processes or instances in which something becomes more stiff, less flexible, or more rigid.

In materials science and engineering, jäykistyksiä refer to changes in mechanical properties where a material becomes stiffer. This can occur through heat treatment, cross-linking of polymers, crystallization, drying, aging, or other structural changes. Jäykistyksiä are often discussed alongside softening or embrittlement, as different processing conditions can shift a material’s modulus and deformation behavior.

In biology and medicine, jäykistyksiä describe physiological or pathological stiffening of tissues or organs. Examples include muscle stiffness (such as spasticity or rigidity in certain motor disorders), fibrosis that replaces compliant tissue with dense connective tissue, calcification, or stiffening of blood vessels (arteriosclerosis). The term may also be used in the context of postmortem changes, where muscles stiffen during rigor mortis.

In botany and plant sciences, jäykistyksiä can refer to the stiffening of plant tissues due to processes like lignification, cell-wall thickening, or changes in turgor pressure, which enhance mechanical support and resistance to bending.

The concept of jäykistyksiä thus spans physical, biological, and ecological contexts, all related to the transition from flexible to more rigid states. See also jäykkyys and jäykistyminen for related terms.