Prey Impact Localization Enabled by Material and Structural Interaction in Spider Orb Webs

Spider webs are mechanical systems able to deliver an outstandingcompromise between distinct requirements such as absorbing impacts andtransmitting information about vibration sources. Both the frequencyinformation and amplitude of input signals can be used by the spider toidentify stimuli, aided by the mechanical filtering properties of orb webs. Inthis work, a numerical model based on nonlinear stress–strain constitutiverelations for spider silk is introduced to investigate how the spider orb weballows spiders to detect and localize prey impacts. The obtained resultsindicate how the orb web center relative transverse displacements, producedby local resonance mechanisms, are used for precise localization, whilenonlinear stress stiffening effects improve prey sensing. Finally, it is alsoshown that, although beneficial, a large number of radial threads may not benecessary for prey localization