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Research Article
Mechanical properties of silk of the Australian golden orb weavers Nephila pilipes and Nephila plumipes
Genevieve G. Kerr, Helen F. Nahrung, Aaron Wiegand, Joanna Kristoffersen, Peter Killen, Cameron Brown, Joanne Macdonald
Biology Open 2018 7: bio029249 doi: 10.1242/bio.029249 Published 22 February 2018
Genevieve G. Kerr
Genecology Research Centre and School of Science, Engineering and Education, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Queensland 4556, Australia
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Helen F. Nahrung
Genecology Research Centre and School of Science, Engineering and Education, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Queensland 4556, Australia
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Aaron Wiegand
Genecology Research Centre and School of Science, Engineering and Education, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Queensland 4556, Australia
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Joanna Kristoffersen
Genecology Research Centre and School of Science, Engineering and Education, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Queensland 4556, Australia
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Peter Killen
Genecology Research Centre and School of Science, Engineering and Education, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Queensland 4556, Australia
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Cameron Brown
Botnar Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7LD, UKInstitute of Health and Biomedical Innovation and School of Chemistry, Physics and Mechanical Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland 4000, Australia
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Joanne Macdonald
Genecology Research Centre and School of Science, Engineering and Education, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Queensland 4556, AustraliaDivision of Experimental Therapeutics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
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  • ORCID record for Joanne Macdonald
  • For correspondence: jmacdon1@usc.edu.au
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    Fig. 1.

    Silk threads from N. pilipes (left) and N. plumipes (right) viewed under a confocal microscope (bottom) and by SEM (top). (A,C) SEM image of threads at 200/220× magnification; (B,D) closer magnification displaying silk thread diameter measurements; (E-H) cross-sections of threads viewed under a confocal microscope showing the variation in fibre numbers per thread (fewer fibres, E,G; larger fibre numbers, F,H). The thread in F is designated with a blue dotted line, and the green solid line circle indicates a single fibre.

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    Fig. 2.

    Example stress-strain curves in relation to toughness for single threads of N. pilipes (left) and N. plumipes (right) thread. Silk was pulled at 1 mm s−1. Stress-strain curves have distinct regions signifying behavioural and structural change: before the yield point (*) the response is elastic and the curve is straight. This first slope is the initial elastic modulus (E). The yield point marks the transition between an elastic and rubber-like response. It is assumed that the amorphous fraction converts from a glass state to a rubber state at this point (Gosline et al., 1999). The gradient of the stress-strain curve falls at the yield point altering E, followed by an increase in slope (and E) as the strain continues to increase, known as work hardening (H). Post-yield response is due to behaviour of action between the rubber states and the crystalline fractions of the silk. Immediately following yield, the stiffness is due to the rubber fraction, but as strain increases and the polymer chains are forced together by increasing tensile strain, the rubber states convert to either glass or crystal, giving a stiffer material that ultimately breaks with a brittle response (Gosline et al., 1999). Points of decreased stress indicate fibre breakage with individual fibres fracturing at different points in time. Stress, strain and toughness were measured from the first fracture, indicated by the hatched area.

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Keywords

  • Nephila sp
  • Spider silk
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Research Article
Mechanical properties of silk of the Australian golden orb weavers Nephila pilipes and Nephila plumipes
Genevieve G. Kerr, Helen F. Nahrung, Aaron Wiegand, Joanna Kristoffersen, Peter Killen, Cameron Brown, Joanne Macdonald
Biology Open 2018 7: bio029249 doi: 10.1242/bio.029249 Published 22 February 2018
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Research Article
Mechanical properties of silk of the Australian golden orb weavers Nephila pilipes and Nephila plumipes
Genevieve G. Kerr, Helen F. Nahrung, Aaron Wiegand, Joanna Kristoffersen, Peter Killen, Cameron Brown, Joanne Macdonald
Biology Open 2018 7: bio029249 doi: 10.1242/bio.029249 Published 22 February 2018

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