Table 1.
Mechanical properties of the whelk egg capsule, compared with other fibrous protein materials5, 24, 27–31. Strain rates for egg capsule, keratin, collagen and silk are all comparable, but are unavailable for resilin and elastin.
| Protein Material |
Ei (MPa) |
Yield Stress (MPa) |
Breaking Stress (MPa) |
Yield Strain (%) |
Breaking Strain (%) |
Strain Energy to Failure (MJm−3) |
Resilience (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whelk Egg Capsule | 60 | 2.5 | 10.0 | 5 | 169 | 8.5 | 49 |
| Wool Keratin | 3000 | 30 | 150 | 5 | 52 | 37.4 | 55 |
| Resilin | 2 | NA | 4 | NA | 190 | 4 | 92 |
| Elastin | 1 | NA | 2 | NA | 150 | 1.6 | 90 |
| Tendon Collagen | 1200 | 20 | 39 | 1.5 | 12 | 4.1 | 90 |
| Dragline Silk | 10000 | 160 | 1100 | 4 | 30 | 160 | 35 |