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Silkworms Inspire Smart Materials

Posted by samzenpus on from the who-made-your-helmet? dept.

nachiketas writes "Oxford University researchers David Porter and Fujia Chen examine the structure of silkworm cocoons, which are extremely light and tough, with properties that could inspire advanced materials for use in protective helmets and light-weight armour. 'Silkworm cocoons have evolved a remarkable range of optimal structures and properties to protect moth pupae from many different natural threats,' Porter and Chen said in their paper. These structures are lightweight, strong and porous and therefore 'ideal for the development of bio-inspired composite materials.' Their research could lead to lightweight armour that dissipates rather than deflects the particular components of a blast that do the most damage to the human body — much like crumple zones in modern cars or sound-absorbing sonar tiles that make submarines harder to detect."

10 comments

  1. Nature Could Be Useful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Very cool.

  2. Jane Russell inspires structural engineering. by jbeaupre · · Score: 1

    Inspiration is where you look for it.

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    The world is made by those who show up for the job.
  3. whew! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    First they inspire a Chinese missile, now this?!? Is there NOTHING silkworms cannot do?

  4. I hope this means: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I hope this means that it's made of two parts, HELI and TANK, and they have to work together.

    1. Re:I hope this means: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      JEEP.

      Yeah, I meant jeep. It was a trick question. Statement.

  5. Silk uniforms? by __aaltlg1547 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    With blast absorbing crumple zones. Can't wait to see those on the battlefield/runway.

    1. Re:Silk uniforms? by evilviper · · Score: 1

      Silk was replaced by nylon nearly a century ago.

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      Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
  6. They're also good stir fried by shugah · · Score: 1

    n/t

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    If you aren't part of the solution, then there is good money to be made prolonging the problem
  7. Graphene? by aaronb1138 · · Score: 1

    Something tells me graphene is substantially closer to primetime for the suggested use cases (10-20 years off I suppose). Outside that I could maybe see the patterns being used by an exotic loom for existing kevlar or similar.

  8. oh, it's this thread again... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...Yet somehow I'm used to it.