| Transgenic silkworm silk was created to obtain the quality of spider silk while being mass-producible. Due to the variability in sequencing between the silkworm and spider DNA, the resulting transgenic silkworm silk may have different properties compared to spider silk. Furthermore, the high strain rate mechanical response of this new natural fiber is still unknown and needs to be characterized. In this experimental research, a quasi-static load frame (MTS) and a Kolsky tension bar are used to characterize the tensile stress-strain response of transgenic silkworm silk over a range of strain-rates between 10-3/s to 103/s. The results show that transgenic silkworm silk tends to have high overall elongation and initial stiffness at high strain rates compared to those of spider silk. Furthermore, specimen gage length sensitivity is studied with gage lengths of 3.97 mm (5/32 in), 4.76 mm (3/16 in), and 6.35 mm (1/4 in). Fracture surfaces are examined via Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and reveal that the fracture mode is similar to that of spider silk. Therefore, it may be possible for the tensile properties of transgenic silkworm silk be comparable to that of spider silk. |
