Researchers are unraveling the mystery of a special kind of beetle with an incredibly rugged exoskeleton capable of withstanding extreme pressure even 39,000 times its weight. What's more, it has got one of the coolest names in the animal kingdom that perfectly describes it: the diabolical ironclad beetle.
This bug can survive being run over by a car before it cracks. Scientists believe that the bug's tough exoskeleton could inspire advances in making high-strength materials, BGR reported.
Diabolical Ironclad Beetle: Unlocking the secrets of its super-tough design Screenshot from YouTube/ Purdue Engineering
The Diabolical Ironclad Beetle
Just by the name of the diabolical ironclad beetle, it already suggests that the bug is really tough. It is an essential characteristic of all types of bugs as they need to be always on the lookout for any potential harm.
For instance, humans pose one of the greatest threats to the bugs because of the pesticides that can wipe out an entire population, or if it does not work, they can always use their feet or cars to crash these bugs.
But the diabolic ironclad beetle does not mind being stomp by a human shoe or ran over by a car because they can withstand the pressure, according to a new study by a team from Purdue University and the University of California, Irvine (UCI) published in Nature.
The study described how the beetle could withstand 39,000 times its weight or about 150 newtons of force more than the typical cars' force which is only 100 newtons of force.
Lead author David Kisailus, a professor of materials science and engineering at UCI, said that although the ironclad is not lightweight and fast it is built more like a tank which is its adaptation because it could not fly. Its armor serves as its protection from any predator.
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What Makes The Diabolic Ironclad Beetle So Tough?
According to the researchers, the bug's shell has evolved to protect it. Particularly the blade of the ironclad, called elytra, is fused to act as a solid shield as it cannot fly.
An analysis revealed that it is made of thin layers of chitin and the bug's exoskeleton is made of 10% more protein than the lighter beetles. The jigsaw-puzzle structure of the chitin does not break when put under pressure because it only fractures slowly, according to CBS News.
"When you break a puzzle piece, you expect it to separate at the neck, the thinnest part," Kisailus said. But that is not the case with the diabolic ironclad beetle because it delaminates which provides a more graceful failure of the structure, he added.
Furthermore, Kisalus believes that understanding the mechanism of diabolic ironclad beetle's protection could help humans create novel, extra-strong materials that will improve the durability of aircraft, cars, and many more.
The researchers made a replica of the structure of the bug's exoskeleton using carbon fiber-reinforced plastics which results in a stronger and tougher material than the ones used in aircraft designs.
Indeed, this discovery bridges the gap between physics, mechanics, and materials science toward applications in engineering, Kisalius said.
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