This observation led Kawano and Morassi towards realistic mechanical models that measure a fibred web's two-dimensionality, rather than more limiting one-dimensional models.
In an article publishing this week in the SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics, Morassi and Alexandre Kawano present a theoretical mechanical model to study the inverse problem of source identification and localize a prey in a spider orb-web.ĭue to structural interconnectivity between the circumferential and radial threads, vibrations in an orb-web spread laterally and move beyond the stimulated radius. While these numerical models adequately handle wind, prey movement, and other sources of vibration, they fall short of providing insight into the physical phenomena responsible for web dynamics. To understand the mechanics of orb-webs, researchers have previously utilized simplified patterns of wave propagation or relied upon numerical models that reproduce a spider web's exact geometry via one-dimensional elements. "Its primary functions are catching prey and gathering sensory information, and study of the mechanisms that guide these processes through web vibration has been one of the main research goals in the field." "The spider orb-web is a natural, lightweight, elegant structure with an extreme strength-to-weight ratio that is rarely observed among other structures, either natural or manmade," Antonino Morassi said.
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