Reproducibility of the tensile properties of spider (Argiope trifasciata) silk obtained by forced silking

A modified forced silking procedure was developed to allow an accurate study of the tensile properties of spider (Argiope trifasciata) silk, especially the characterization of the variability of the tensile properties of forcibly silked fibers. The procedure involves an immobilization technique that does not require anesthetization of the spider, a mode of collection that allows immediate access to any silk sample with a minimum manipulation, and a technique to measure the diameters of the spider silk fibers systematically. The forcibly silked fibers obtained by this procedure show reproducible tensile properties in terms of force-displacement curves as well as stress-strain curves. Furthermore, reproducibility also extends to forcibly silked fibers obtained from different spiders when stress-strain is considered. (C) 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.