Meet diabolical ironclad beetles, which can avoid driving a car

Scientists are unraveling the mystery of a bug with a great name for the animal kingdom: the diabolical ironclad beetle.

The most difficult natural exoskeleton that scientists have ever seen in Floyd’s Diabolics. According to research published Wednesday in the journal Nature, the insect’s armor is very durable, with few predators successfully feeding on one of them – and it can even survive driving by car.

This is a mistake that scientists specifically need to drill a hole in before they can stick it.

A team from Purdue University and the University of California, Irvine (UCI) have speculated that when a beetle is subjected to a fair amount of pressure, its “crush-resistant” shell adapts to the situation by pulling instead of collapsing. Its almost indestructible shell, with its convincing acting skills when it comes to playing, leave the beetle with a few predators.

“Ironclade is a terrestrial beetle, so it’s not lightweight and fast, but it’s built like a little tank,” said David Kissilius, a UCI professor of materials science and engineering, lead author, in a news release. “It’s his adaptation: he doesn’t fly, so he just stays put and lets his specially designed armor be misused until the hunter gives up.”

In compression tests, researchers found that the beetle could withstand a force of about 39,000 times its body weight – which is 200 pounds and weighs 7.8 million pounds.

So, how does the seemingly indestructible bug manage to withstand all odds?

Scientists have discovered that the error shell, which is located in the southwestern U.S. Is a native of desert habitats, developed to save it. In particular, its Ultra – blades that open and close on the wings of aerial beetles – blend together to act as a solid shell for the beetle, which does not fly.

Analysis of Eletra revealed that it is composed of chitin layers, fibrous material and protein matrix. Its exoskeleton contains about 10% more protein than a light, flying beetle.

Under compression, the Electra’s jigsaw puzzle-like structure does not accelerate as expected, but, gradually fractures.

“When you break a piece of a puzzle, you expect it to be the thinnest part, from the neck part,” Kisils said. “But we don’t see a catastrophic split in this species of beetle. Instead, it tends to decay, which provides a more compelling failure to the structure.”

Scientists believe that understanding what makes iron beetles so difficult will also be of practical use to humans. Kissels said the new, extra-strong material based on the characteristics of the bug will drastically improve the durability of aircraft, automobiles and more.

Kisilus and his team mimicked the bug’s exoskeleton design using carbon fiber-reinforced plastic. The results were both stronger and stiffer than the current aerospace design.

“This study really pulls the fields of biology, physics, mechanics and materials science towards engineering applications, which you don’t usually see in research,” Kisils said. “Fortunately, this program, which is sponsored by the Air Force, really enables us to form these multi-disciplinary teams, which helped connect the dots leading to this remarkable discovery.”