Data from: Point of impact: the effect of size and speed on puncture mechanics

The use of high-speed puncture mechanics for prey capture has been documented across a wide range of organisms, including vertebrates, arthropods, molluscs and cnidarians. These examples span four phyla and seven orders of magnitude difference in size. The commonality of these puncture systems offers an opportunity to explore how organisms at different scales and with differentmaterials,morphologies and kinematics performthe same basic function. However, there is currently no framework for combining kinematic performance with cutting mechanics in biological puncture systems. Our aim here is to establish this framework by examining the effects of size and velocity in a series of controlled ballistic puncture experiments. Arrows of identical shape but varying in mass and speed were shot into cubes of ballistic gelatine. Results from high-speed videography shows that projectile velocity can alter how the target gel responds to cutting. Mixed models comparing kinematic variables and puncture patterns indicate that the kinetic energy of a projectile is a better predictor of penetration than either momentum or velocity. These results form a foundation for studying the effects of impact on biological puncture, opening the door for future work to explore the influence of morphology and material organization on high-speed cutting dynamics.

高速穿刺力学用于猎物捕获的现象，已在包括脊椎动物（vertebrates）、节肢动物（arthropods）、软体动物（molluscs）以及刺胞动物（cnidarians）在内的众多生物类群中被报道。此类案例涵盖4个动物门，且涉及的生物体型跨度达7个数量级。这类穿刺系统的共性，为探究不同尺度、具备不同材料特性、形态结构与运动学特征的生物体如何完成同一基础功能提供了研究契机。然而，目前尚无能够将生物穿刺系统中的运动学性能与切削力学相结合的研究框架。本研究旨在通过一系列受控弹道穿刺实验，探究尺寸与速度的影响效应，以此构建这一研究框架。实验中，我们使用形状一致但质量与速度存在差异的箭形弹体，射击弹道明胶方块样本。高速摄像（high-speed videography）结果显示，弹体速度可改变目标明胶对切削过程的响应模式。对比运动学变量与穿刺模式的混合效应模型表明，弹体的动能（kinetic energy）是比动量或速度更优的穿透深度预测因子。本研究结果为探究冲击对生物穿刺的影响奠定了基础，也为后续探索形态与材料组织对高速切削动力学的影响铺平了道路。