Use spider silk to make strings

Not only used to make bulletproof shirts, silk spider silk is now also used to make violin strings.

>>> Spider silk

Spider silk is much harder than steel but much lighter. When knitted in a grid pattern, spider silk can prevent moving objects, such as falling fruit or insects. So many scientists have come up with the idea of using spider silk to make bulletproof suits, artificial tendons and more.

Shigeyoshi Osaki, a lecturer at the Nara University School of Medicine in Japan, has been studying the properties of silk for many years. He recently came up with the idea of using spider silk to create violin strings, the BBC reported.

A violin.

"String instruments, such as the violin, are the subject of much scientific research, but most researchers focus on the body rather than the strings," says Osaki. .

Osaki grows 300 Nephila maculata - one of the most famous spiders due to the ability to weave sophisticated and robust webs for large amounts of silk. Then he turned 3,000 to 5,000 threads in one direction to form a bundle. In the next stage, Osaki takes three strands of silk to form a violin string.

Tension is the most important criterion when evaluating violin strings. Osaki's test showed that the spider silk cord had a greater strain than the aluminum wrapped strings.

When viewed under an electron microscope, Osaki realized that the spider silk cord had a perfect roundness. But more specifically, he did not see any gaps in the contact between the spider silk threads. Osaki says that is the characteristic that makes his strings tough and tense, and creates a distinct sound from traditional strings.