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Microstructure, Nanostructure and Properties of the Wasp Petiole

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2011

Emily J. Reed ,
Michael R. Dunlap ,
Jacek Jasinski  and
Christopher Viney
Emily J. Reed
Affiliation:
ereed@ucmerced.edu, University of California at Merced, School of Engineering, P.O. Box 2039, Merced, CA, 95344, United States
Michael R. Dunlap
Affiliation:
mdunlap@ucmerced.edu, University of California at Merced, School of Engineering, P.O. Box 2039, Merced, CA, 95344, United States
Jacek Jasinski
Affiliation:
jjasinski@ucmerced.edu, University of California at Merced, School of Engineering, P.O. Box 2039, Merced, CA, 95344, United States
Christopher Viney
Affiliation:
cviney@ucmerced.edu, University of California at Merced, School of Engineering, P.O. Box 2039, Merced, CA, 95344, United States
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Abstract

The wasp petiole (waist) is a self-assembled, multifunctional, hierarchically structured tube, which in some species has a simple, near-cylindrical shape that simplifies mechanical property characterization. We describe studies performed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy that reveal several details about the hierarchical structure of mud dauber wasp petiole, including: the number and thickness of the concentric layers of cuticle comprising the wall; the similarity (and differences) between the wall structure and the structure of multi-layer corrugated cardboard; and the different anisotropies of the dorsal and ventral internal surfaces. We also describe a simple experiment in which a petiole is used as a cantilever to determine its stiffness in bending; the result (1.5 GPa) demonstrates a material efficiency in bending similar to that of GFRP and aluminum.

Keywords

microstructurenanostructurescanning electron microscopy (SEM)
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 975: Symposium DD – Mechanics of Biological and Bio-Inspired Materials , 2006 , 0975-DD07-04
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2007

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References

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