Inside the tent are six 4 plants that help keep the interior of the tent humid, and provide additional surfaces for web building. The spiders are fed live crickets and watered with a spray bottle. When a sample of silk is needed, a spider is sedated in a small refrigerator, gently secured on her back, and placed under a stereo microscope. When the appropriate spigot is located on an anterior spinneret, a sharpened forceps is used to induce silk production by touching the tip of the spigot. The thread is then wrapped on a spool using a variable-speed motor.
Testing includes piezoelectric as well as mechanical and microstructural properties.
Dr. Palmer will conduct direct microscopic observation of the silk as it traverses the duct and spigot, looking in particular for possible stress mediated phase transitions and concentration gradients. The initial conformation for the candidate units will be generated and refined using standard molecular mechanics optimization routines. Understanding the spontaneous development of such organization in biological systems is crucial in developing biomimetic materials. Different assemblies with varying morphology and functionality form at different length scales of the material. Fiber related industries and agencies .