Scientists have uncovered why spiders’ webs are able to withstand huge forces.
Photo: PA
7:37AM GMT 02 Feb 2012
Comment Researchers claim the findings could be used to help design a new generation of super strength materials.
The study found that it is not just the remarkable strength of the silk spiders spin, but also a web’s intricate design which boosts its durability.
Its complex structure means that when a single strand of a web breaks, the overall strength of the web increases rather than weakens.
Report co-author Markus Buehler, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, said: “The real strength of the web is not the silk but how its mechanical properties change as things strain it, which is a very sleek inbuilt feature which could be used in many areas of life to contain damage to a small area.”
The creation of a typical web uses up a huge amount of a spider’s energy - so it contains a series of features which stop major repairs being needed.
Researchers found the silk itself has an ability to soften or stiffen to withstand different types of loads - unlike any other natural or man-made fibres.
In tests against three other materials made into similar webs, the spider silk was six times more resilient to damage when subjected to falling twigs or high winds.
When a weight was applied, only one thread broke - so the spider could do minor repairs rather than start from scratch.
Removing up to 10 per cent of the threads from various areas made the web not weaker but actually up to 10 per cent stronger.
Scientists have already been able to show how spider silk is up to five times as strong as the same weight of steel.
The latest study, published in science journal Nature, found webs contain two types of silk. The first is stiff and dry and are used in threads which radiate out from the centre.
The second is thinner and stickier and is referred to as “viscid silk”. This type of strand is used to create the spiral threads which are mainly used to trap prey.
