3 ms·
Spider Silk has a tensile strength of 1.3GPa, at a density of 1.3g/cm^3 [0]. This translates to 1300 kg/m3, or a specific strength around 1,000,000. So short a
by aerophilic 7y ago
Spider Silk has a tensile strength of 1.3GPa, at a density of 1.3g/cm^3 [0]. This translates to 1300 kg/m3, or a specific strength around 1,000,000.
So short answer is probably “maybe?”, based on the equations here [1], however there are other mitigating considerations, everything from how would you mass produce it, to the fact it can constrict up to 50% when wet. Hopefully those are just engineering problems.
[0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_silk#Density https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_silk#Density
[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_elevator https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_elevator
- abakker 7y agoAll the synthetic silk products I’ve ever seen are very susceptible to UV damage. Modern synthetic winch lines are synthetic silks, and while they are very strong, they need to be kept covered to ensure UV stability.
- ianai 7y agoThat’s very informative! What do you figure are potentially new applications for this that aren’t possible without it?
- abakker 7y agoSafety. It’s light, and doesn’t store a lot of elastic energy, so when it does fail it doesn’t whip. That is a feature for winch lines and webbing bits for climbing. Usually with these new fibers, the applications are lightness, since for applications without weight sensitivity steel is pretty awesome.