Spider's orb web : implications of structural hierarchies to materials-based evolution
Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2015.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | eng |
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2016
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/101842 |
| _version_ | 1811088496769630208 |
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| author | Tarakanova, Anna |
| author2 | Markus J. Buehler. |
| author_facet | Markus J. Buehler. Tarakanova, Anna |
| author_sort | Tarakanova, Anna |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2015. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T14:03:05Z |
| format | Thesis |
| id | mit-1721.1/101842 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T14:03:05Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1018422019-04-12T14:44:02Z Spider's orb web : implications of structural hierarchies to materials-based evolution Implications of structural hierarchies to materials-based evolution Tarakanova, Anna Markus J. Buehler. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Civil and Environmental Engineering. Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2015. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (pages 65-69). Among a myriad of spider web geometries, the orb web presents a fascinating, exquisite example in architecture and evolution. Its structural component, the silk protein, is an exemplary natural material because its superior properties stem intrinsically from the synergistic cooperativity of hierarchically-organized components, rather than from the particular properties of the building blocks themselves. By bridging together different levels of hierarchy in the web, we elucidate the mechanisms by which structure at each composite level contributes to organization and material phenomena at subsequent levels, demonstrating that the web is a highly adapted system where both material and hierarchical structure across all length-scales is critical for its functional properties. Further, the material hierarchy scheme within the orb web is exploited to address questions of silk evolution. Spider orb webs can be divided into two categories distinguished by the capture silk used in construction: cribellate orb webs composed of pseudoflagelliform silk coated with dry cribellate threads and ecribellate orb webs, composed of viscid flagelliform silk fibers, coated by adhesive glue droplets. Cribellate capture silk is generally stronger but less extensible than viscid capture silk and a body of phylogenic evidence suggests that cribellate capture silk is more closely related to the ancestral form of capture spiral silk. Here, we use a coarse-grained web model to investigate how the mechanical properties of spiral capture silk affect the behavior of the web system, illustrating that more extensible capture spiral silk yields a decrease in the web's energy absorption, suggesting that the function of the capture spiral shifted from prey capture to other structural roles. Additionally, we observe that in webs with more extensible capture silk, the effect of thread strength on web performance is reduced, indicating that thread extensibility is a dominant driving factor in web diversification. In this thesis, we propose a novel model-centered materials-hierarchy based approach to studying evolutionary trends and suggest possible applications for other fields. by Anna Tarakanova. S.M. 2016-03-25T13:39:42Z 2016-03-25T13:39:42Z 2015 2015 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/101842 941815506 eng M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 69 pages application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| spellingShingle | Civil and Environmental Engineering. Tarakanova, Anna Spider's orb web : implications of structural hierarchies to materials-based evolution |
| title | Spider's orb web : implications of structural hierarchies to materials-based evolution |
| title_full | Spider's orb web : implications of structural hierarchies to materials-based evolution |
| title_fullStr | Spider's orb web : implications of structural hierarchies to materials-based evolution |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spider's orb web : implications of structural hierarchies to materials-based evolution |
| title_short | Spider's orb web : implications of structural hierarchies to materials-based evolution |
| title_sort | spider s orb web implications of structural hierarchies to materials based evolution |
| topic | Civil and Environmental Engineering. |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/101842 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT tarakanovaanna spidersorbwebimplicationsofstructuralhierarchiestomaterialsbasedevolution AT tarakanovaanna implicationsofstructuralhierarchiestomaterialsbasedevolution |