Point of impact: the effect of size and speed on puncture mechanics.

ABSTRACT: The use of high-speed puncture mechanics for prey capture has been documented across a wide range of organisms, including vertebrates, arthropods, molluscs and cnidarians. These examples span four phyla and seven orders of magnitude difference in size. The commonality of these puncture systems offers an opportunity to explore how organisms at different scales and with different materials, morphologies and kinematics perform the same basic function. However, there is currently no framework for combining kinematic performance with cutting mechanics in biological puncture systems. Our aim here is to establish this framework by examining the effects of size and velocity in a series of controlled ballistic puncture experiments. Arrows of identical shape but varying in mass and speed were shot i

SUBMITTER: Anderson PS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4843624 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature