How Strong is Spider Silk?
WouterSpider silk is a very strong material that has many uses. It can be used in medical applications, textiles, and even body armor. While it’s tough and strong, it’s also flexible. This allows it to be a great tool for catching flying insects.
Silks are made of nanostrands of protein that bind together to create a thread. There are thousands of these strands and each one is around twenty millionths of a millimeter in diameter. The strands are extremely thin, compared to human hair or steel, and are very stretchable.
Spider silk is also surprisingly flexible. It can be stretched up to five times its original length without breaking. In fact, if it were stretched to its smallest length, it would be as thick as a pencil.
Spider silk is stronger than steel and Kevlar. Natural spider silk is about five times stronger than steel and about ten times stronger than carbon fiber. Moreover, the strength of Kevlar is a little less than a third of that of natural spider silk.
Researchers are studying spider silk. They have analyzed the silk of brown recluse spiders. These silks are easier to analyze under a microscope.
Scientists found that the strength of a spiderweb is based on a combination of size and density. A single pencil-width strand of spider silk could stop a Boeing 747 mid-flight.
Scientists have also found that spiders produce seven or eight different types of silk. Some species, such as Nephilia clavipes, produce very hard and fine spider silk.
