Abstract
Spider orb webs are multifunctional structures, the main function of which is to dissipate the kinetic energy of the impacting prey, while minimizing structural damage. There is no single explanation for their remarkable strength and ductility. However, it is clear that topology is decisive in the structural performance upon impact, and the arrangement of the different silk threads in the web must also exert an effect. The aim of this study is to show how a slight variation in the geometry markedly affects the prey-capture ability of spider orb webs. The study is focused on the secondary frame, a thread interposed between radial and primary frame strands, the importance of which has not been examined until now. The simulation of the impact performance of webs using different lengths of the secondary frame clarifies its structural role, which has proven to be decisive. Furthermore, the study explains why secondary frame threads of moderate length, as commonly encountered, enable the capture of prey with higher energy without a marked increase in the volume of silk used.
Highlights
An orb-weaving spider’s likelihood of survival is influenced by the ability of its web to withstand prey impact with minimum damage and at the lowest manufacturing cost[1,2,3,4,5]
According to various authors[22,23], spiders consistently repair damage that threatens the integrity of the web, restoring its structural performance and re-establishing the tension in radial threads, thereby mantaining its ability as a prey-trap and sensory system
We report the results that demonstrate the mechanisms behind the beneficial effect of the secondary frame, to highlight its differential effect in web performance and to quantify its benefit
Summary
An orb-weaving spider’s likelihood of survival is influenced by the ability of its web to withstand prey impact with minimum damage and at the lowest manufacturing cost[1,2,3,4,5] This set of requirements has forced spider silk to evolve towards extreme strength and ductility to a degree that is rarely observed among other materials, either natural or manmade[6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17]. Despite the ample research on the mechanical behavior of the orb web, the importance of the secondary frame (Fig. 1a) in its structural behavior has been generally overlooked This part of the scaffold requires a small fraction of the silk compared to spirals and radials, but its contribution to an even distribution of stiffness among the threads is crucial according to the findings presented here. This study seeks to provide a rationale for all these observations, based on well-established principles of structural mechanics
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