Tanha Rani

Sept 22^nd, 2021

Writing for Engineering Lap Report Draft

Is Spider Silk Stronger than Steel?

Abstract: 

Previous tests done by scientists deemed that spider silk is stronger than steel when they are the same mass, MythBusters also predicted that if spider silk and steel are put to the test to see how many quarts of water can be carried by 25,000 strands of spider silk and a 28-gauge steel wire up to their breaking point, spider silk will be able to carry more quarts of water. By using a rig with a controlled amount of water filling a bucket latched on to first, the spider silk, and then the steel wire, upon the bucket of water filling to 12.5 pounds when the steel wire snaps and 26 pounds for the spider silk to snap, spider silk was proven to be stronger than steel. 26 pounds of water is more than double the amount of weight that a steel gauge can handle, making this result of the experiment clear. This find is important because it allows us to understand that even if spider silk seems to be weal, when tested how much stress it can withstand, it was proven that spider silk of the same density of steel is stronger than steal because it can handle more stress.

Introduction & Hypothesis: 

It is almost common knowledge that spider silk is deemed stronger than steel, why not test that theory further? Based on the fact that items of the same mass can withstand different amounts of strength, if the amount of water weight that 25,000 strands of spider silk can hold is compared to that of a 28-gauge wire, it was predicted that spider silk will be able to withstand more stress than steel. By using a rig, this method was tested by filling a bucket of water and attaching the two items being tested to the buckets, one after the other, until the item breaks and comparing the weight of the results. This method allows us to test the strength of spider silk and steel of the same density to figure out which one is stronger.

Materials & Methods: 

To conduct this experiment, we need a rig, a pipe, two buckets that can hold up to 40 pounds of water (22 quarts), a snap-on hook, a nozzle to release water, 25,00 strands of spider silk tied together, a 28-gauge steel wire, four pieces of rope, and a weight scale. On the rig, set up the two buckets, one on top of the other, and have a pipe laid out to allow water from the top bucket to go to the bottom bucket in controlled manner. The bucket with water should be filled and laid on top of a sturdy shelf to prevent it from falling, and the bottom bucket should be empty. Attach the 28-gauge steel wire strength on to a sturdy piece of the rig in between both buckets to a metal hook attached to four pieces of strong rope holding the bottom bucket and release the nozzle to allow water to go from the top bucket to the bottom bucket. Wait for the spider silk to snap and the bucket to fall onto the bottom section of the rig to measure it’s weight on the weight scale. Repeat these steps for the 25,000 strands of spider silk. After doing this with the 25,000 strands of spider silk and 28-gauge wire, compare the weight of water that they could hold, and whichever weight is greater will prove which item is stronger than the other.

Results: 

The 28-gauge of steel wire was able to hold the weight of 12.5 pounds of water, and the 25,000 strands of spider silk held 26 pounds of water before snapping completely. 

Discussion: 

Since 26 pounds of water is greater than 12.5 pounds of water, the results are clear that the 25,000 strands of spider silk is stronger than the 28-gauge of steel wire because the spider silk was able to handle more than double the stress when it comes to water weight than the steel wire. These findings proved that the MythBusters original hypothesis was accurate because when comparing spider silk and steel of the same density, the spider silk was stronger than the steel wire. 

Conclusion:

To summarize, the purpose of this experiment was to determine whether 25,000 strands of spider silk is stronger than a 28-gauge steel wire. It was predicted that if both items are attached to a bucket of water that is being filled from another bucket on a rig-like device, the spider silk will be able to hold more water weight than the steel wire, when the water is measured on a weight scale.

The results showed that 25,000 strands of steel were able to hold 26 pounds of water before snapping, and 28-gauge of steel wire held 12.5 pounds of water. Therefore, it was proven that, when spider silk and steel of the same density are tested for their strength, spider silk is stronger than steel. 

Reference: MythBusters: Is Spider Silk Stronger than Steel?