Simulation of prey stopping process by spider webs based on finite element method

In order to discover the mechanical characteristics of spider webs to capture a flying prey, the actual stopping process is investigated based on the theoretical and finite element methods (FEM). First, the stress-strain relationships were built for radial silks and capture spirals in the orb web from the existing experiments. Then, the dynamic response of a single silk thread under transverse impact was solved theoretically. The problem was also simulated using the LS-DYNA software and the numerical results were in good agreement with the theoretical solution. Finally, the actual process for the real web stopping a flying prey was simulated by the LS-DYNA software. The predicted maximal strain of silks in the web and the energy curves agree with the existing experiment results. The numerical simulation shows that the radial silk plays an important role in absorbing the kinetic energy of the flying prey. The stress of radial silks near the impact point is rather low, which is helpful in localizing the damage of radial threads in contact with the prey and repairing the web. When the prey impacts the web with large kinetic energy, the best intercept area is near the middle region of radial threads.