A new wet suit material tested by Flinders marine researchers can help reduce blood loss caused by shark bites, to reduce injuries and prevent the leading cause of death from shark bites.

The study published in PLOS ONE tested two types of protective fabrics that incorporate ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibres (UHMWPE) onto widely used neoprene material in wet suits, and compared their resistance to bites against standard neoprene without protective layers.

Flinders University Associate Professor Charlie Huveneers, from the Southern Shark Ecology Group, says new technological advances in fabric have allowed the development of lightweight alternatives that can be incorporated onto traditional wet suits.

"The aim of this study was to assess the ability of new fabrics incorporated into neoprene to reduce injuries from White Shark bites," says Assoc Professor Huveneers.

"Our results showed that both fabrics tested may provide some protection against shark bite and could be used as part of a shark bite mitigation strategy."

"We tested the fabric on White Sharks because it is the species responsible for the most fatalities from shark bites."

The tests included 10 variants of two different fabrics using two laboratory tests, puncture and laceration tests, along with field-based trials involving White Sharks ranging 3-4 m.

White Shark bite force was also measured at the Neptune Islands Group Marine Park using load sensors placed between steel plates surrounded by foam.

"We found that the new fabrics were more resistant to puncture, laceration, and bites from White Sharks than standard neoprene."

"More force was required to puncture the new fabrics compared to control fabrics (laboratory-based tests), and cuts made to the new fabrics were smaller and shallower than those on standard neoprene from both types of test, i.e. laboratory and field tests.

Prof Huveneers says the results are positive but more testing is required in an incorporated wet suit design and on the potential damage to human flesh underneath for more robust recommendations.

"Although these fabrics may reduce blood loss resulting from a shark bite, further research is needed to measure the magnitude of injury to human flesh."
Related Links
Flinders University
Space Technology News - Applications and Research

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Theoretical tubulanes inspire ultrahard polymers
Houston TX (SPX) Nov 15, 2019
A lightweight material full of holes is nearly as hard as diamond. The mere dents left by speeding bullets prove it. Researchers at Rice University's Brown School of Engineering and their colleagues are testing polymers based on tubulanes, theoretical structures of crosslinked carbon nanotubes predicted to have extraordinary strength. The Rice lab of materials scientist Pulickel Ajayan found tubulanes can be mimicked as scaled-up, 3D-printed polymer blocks that prove to be better at deflecti ... read more