sippyjug104 wrote:
Thanks, Doc. Of course I had you in mind when I staged this session. Although it is difficult to see in this image I noticed that there are little "points" in the middle each of the lines that divide the cells. Another thing that I found interesting that I did not expect was the texture of the wing which had a "sandpaper" feel to them. I was expecting it to be smooth like cellophane. I suspect that they may consist of super fine clear scales that give them that texture.
The wings are a nanocomposit material with a wax layer on a chitin layer sandwiching a layer of protein and fiber. The veins are not just round tubes intersecting on the wings but have very different shapes along their length. They are an optimum shape which is adapted to the forces acting at the location of the vein in that part of the wing whether the dragon is flying, gliding or hovering.
Also the cross-vein end is able to rotate slightly around the axis of the longitudinal vein. The horn-like structures you see on the upper and lower sides appear to act as stops by pressing against the sides of the longitudinal veins and limiting the extent of this rotation. The research on insect wing structure is really extensive and can get very deep when they get into liquid dynamics which looses me. Again, great shot. I loved it. Thanks for sharing it with us.