The strength of spider silk

@article{Griffiths1980TheSO,
  title={The strength of spider silk},
  author={John R. Griffiths and V. R. Salanitri},
  journal={Journal of Materials Science},
  year={1980},
  volume={15},
  pages={491-496}
}
Tensile tests have been made on the draglines of the Queensland Bird-Catching Spider (Nephila maculata): the masses of the several spiders varied by a factor of about 25. The nominal fracture strength of the silk was independent of the spider size and was about 1100 MPa (the true fracture strength was about 1500 MPa). Larger spiders extruded proportionately thicker draglines and the maximum force which a dragline could sustain was generally two or three times the body weight of the spider… 
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17 Citations
Background Citations
9

17 Citations

The effect of ageing on the mechanical properties of the silk of the bridge spider Larinioides cornutus (Clerck, 1757)
TLDR
A positive trend versus time for the Young’s modulus is detected, indicating that aged silks are stiffer and possibly less effective in catching prey, and a negative trend for the ultimate strain versus time is observed, attesting a general decrement of the resistance force.
Stretching of supercontracted fibers: a link between spinning and the variability of spider silk
TLDR
The results suggest that the supercontracted state has a critical biological function during the spinning process of spider silk, and is relevant in the search for a relationship between processing and the variability of the tensile properties.
Spider silk aging: initial improvement in a high performance material followed by slow degradation.
TLDR
Changes in the mechanical properties of dragline and capture silk fibers from several spider species over periods up to 4 years of benign aging are reported, finding an improvement in mechanical performance of silk fibers during the first year of aging.
The influence of anaesthesia on the tensile properties of spider silk
TLDR
The evolution of the silking process of anaesthetized spiders is found to be complex, but it sheds light on the details of the spinning mechanism of spider silk.
The effect of spinning forces on spider silk properties
TLDR
A strong correlation between silking force and tensile behaviour of spider silk has been established and samples retrieved from processes with significant variations in thesilking force are largely variable in terms of force–displacement curves, although reproducibility improves if force is re-scaled into stress.
The common house spider alters the material and mechanical properties of cobweb silk in response to different prey.
  • C. Boutry, T. Blackledge
  • Biology, Medicine
    Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological genetics and physiology
  • 2008
TLDR
Spiders may tune silk to different types of prey by spinning threads that are able to hold prey without deforming permanently, as spider's body mass differed dramatically between the two feeding regimes, spiders may Tune silk to their own body mass.
Supercontraction forces in spider dragline silk depend on hydration rate.
Tarantulas and social spiders : a tale of sex and silk
TLDR
Previous common conceptions of dimensional morphologies were examined to see if they could adequately sex theraphosid spiders, including the species that was the subject of the silk study already described.
Fiber Selection for Reinforced Additive Manufacturing
The purpose of this review is to survey, categorize, and compare the mechanical and thermal characteristics of fibers in order to assist designers with the selection of fibers for inclusion as…
Early Events in the Evolution of Spider Silk Genes
TLDR
A surprisingly rich silk gene diversity is uncovered from the silk glands of six mygalomorph species, a mesothele, and a non-orbicularian araneomorph, and in particular, ECP homologs are found in the mesothle, suggesting that ECPs were present in the common ancestor of extant spiders, and originally were not specialized to complex with tubuliform spidroins.
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