Demineralization Enables Reeling of Wild Silkmoth Cocoons

Demineralization enables reeling of wild silkmoth cocoons.

Wild Silkmoth cocoons are difficult or impossible to reel under conditions that work well for cocoons of the Mulberry silkmoth, Bombyx mori . Here we report evidence that this is caused by mineral reinforcement of Wild Silkmoth cocoons and that washing these minerals out allows for the reeling of commercial lengths of good quality fibers with implications for the development of the "Wild Silk" ...

Reeling in Outsourcing

Companies who sought outsourcing as a panacea to cost pressures and global demand have begun to re-evaluate their outsourcing strategies in light of increased fuel and distribution costs, quality problems, security risks and current economic conditions. This concept paper reviews the literature on reversing supply chain outsourcing and outlines the basis of a model for reshaping outsourcing str...

Structure and Properties of Silk from the African Wild Silkmoth Gonometa postica Reared Indoors

African wild silkmoth, Gonometa postica Walker (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae), were reared indoors in order to examine the influence of rearing conditions on the structure and properties of silk cocoon shells and degummed fibers by using a scanning electron microscope, an Instron tensile tester, and a thermogravimetric analyzer. The cocoons reared indoors showed inferior quality in weight, length...

Reeling Mechanism for Wire Rod Rolling Mills

The impact behaviour of silk cocoons.

Silk cocoons, constructed by silkmoths (Lepidoptera), are protective structural composites. Some cocoons appear to have evolved towards structural and material optimisation in order to sustain impact strikes from predators and hinder parasite ingress. This study investigates the protective properties of silk cocoons with different morphologies by evaluating their impact resistance and damage to...