Memory spider thread
2006/05/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria
When a climber is released from the wall and hangs hanging from the rope, why does it tour for a long time and, however, the spider remains still hanging from its thread? The difference is in the memory of materials.
A lot of research has been done to know the characteristics of the spider thread and, from them, search for applications in the polymer industry. The last one, made by researchers of the French Research Centre, has analyzed the time it takes to acquire the previous aspect after the twisting of the spider threads. And they have seen that after twisting 90º the spider thread, immediately adopts its initial appearance. For this reason, the researchers have affirmed that the thread has a good aspect memory. Apparently, for the spider it is good to be able to remain still while hanging, which prevents enemies from seeing it easily.
In addition, they have shown that the thread does not lose properties despite its twist. On the other hand, spider thread has been compared with synthetic polymers and it is being studied how to apply its advantages.
