Spider Silk is one of the strongest fibers found in nature. Along with its incredible strength, the fiber is also extremely elastic and resilient, and has several properties that are unmatched by even the most exotic of man-made fibers. One of the most important properties of spider silk, however, is its extreme resistance to breaking under strain. Relative to this property, spider silk outperforms virtually all known natural and synthetic fibers.
Because spider silk also has the unparalleled capacity to absorb energy and dissipate it in a very controlled manner, this fiber is especially attractive for applications where energy absorption is a key design factor. These applications include bulletproof vests, artificial ligaments, parachute cords, suspension cables and many others.
Pound for pound, spider silk is much stronger than steel. It is known to be at least five times stronger than steel of the same diameter. Spider silk also has some other unique and interesting characteristics. For example, a single strand of spider silk is significantly finer than a human hair as well as substantially lighter. It has been said that spider silk is so thin and light weight that a single strand long enough to circle the entire Earth would weigh less than 2 pounds.
There is little dispute whether or not spider silk has superiority over many manmade and natural fibers for certain applications. However, the issue is how to produce spider silk in commercial quantities at a reasonable cost. With Kraig Biocraft’s leading team of scientific experts and breakthroughs already taking place in the lab, the world is closer than ever to experiencing the many benefits offered by this exciting technology.
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