The finest engineer in the animal world is the spider. Her net, gentle like the water, flexible like the tree, is a marvel of construction in its simplicity and sophistication. Her method of construction is efficient and methodical.
Construction Process
Step 1: Start building with knitting a kite.
Step 2: Sail off into space in search of another anchor.
Step 3: Additional silk lines reinforce the bridge.
Step 4: Sail from the middle of the bridge to a third point below.
Step 5: Define the HUB of the web.
Step 6: Build the frame outline.
Step 7: Add radial lines.
Step 8: Add rings.
Step 9: Test and adjust.
Outside Link to "How Spider Builds Its Web"
Outside Link to "Spider Web Construction Gallery"
Resemblance to Testing High Strength Cables
In the process of building the net, the spider uses her multiple legs to test the tension of the lines, replacing or adjusting them when necessary. This method is like the common procedure used for testing high strength cables. In this test procedure, two points of the cable are held fixed and a third point, half way between them, is pushed laterally, using the magnitude of lateral deflection as a measure of the force in the cable.