J4 ›› 2009, Vol. 6 ›› Issue (2): 135-142.doi: 10.1016/S1672-6529(08)60110-9

• 论文 • 上一篇    下一篇

A Mechanical Model for the Adhesion of Spiders to Nominally Flat Surfaces

Alessandro Gasparetto, Tobias Seidl, Renato Vidoni   

  1. 1. DIEGM, Department of Electrical, Management and Mechanical Engineering, University of Udine,
    Via delle Scienze, 208-33100 Udine, Italy
    2. Advanced Concepts Team, European Space Agency, 2201 AZ Noordwijk, The Nederlands
  • 出版日期:2009-06-30
  • 通讯作者: Alessandro Gasparetto E-mail: gasparetto@uniud.it E-mail:gasparetto@uniud.it
  • 作者简介:Alessandro Gasparetto E-mail: gasparetto@uniud.it

A Mechanical Model for the Adhesion of Spiders to Nominally Flat Surfaces

Alessandro Gasparetto, Tobias Seidl, Renato Vidoni   

  1. 1. DIEGM, Department of Electrical, Management and Mechanical Engineering, University of Udine,
    Via delle Scienze, 208-33100 Udine, Italy
    2. Advanced Concepts Team, European Space Agency, 2201 AZ Noordwijk, The Nederlands
  • Online:2009-06-30
  • Contact: Alessandro Gasparetto E-mail: gasparetto@uniud.it E-mail:gasparetto@uniud.it
  • About author:Alessandro Gasparetto E-mail: gasparetto@uniud.it

摘要:

In dry attachment systems of spiders and geckos, van der Waals forces mediate attraction between substrate and animal tarsus. In particular, the scopula of Evarcha arcuata spiders allows for reversible attachment and easy detachment to a broad range of surfaces. Hence, reproducing the scopula’s roughness compatibility while maintaining anti-bunching features and dirt particle repellence behavior is a central task for a biomimetic transfer to an engineered model. In the present work we model the scopula of E. arcuata from a mechano-elastic point of view analyzing the influence of its hierarchical structure on the attachment behavior. By considering biological data of the gecko and spider, and the simulation results, the adhesive capabilities of the two animals are compared and important confirmations and new directives in order to reproduce the overall structure are found. Moreover, a possible suggestion of how the spider detaches in an easy and fast manner is proposed and supported by the results.

关键词: bionics, spider, dry adhesion, mechano-elastic model, hierarchical structure

Abstract:

In dry attachment systems of spiders and geckos, van der Waals forces mediate attraction between substrate and animal tarsus. In particular, the scopula of Evarcha arcuata spiders allows for reversible attachment and easy detachment to a broad range of surfaces. Hence, reproducing the scopula’s roughness compatibility while maintaining anti-bunching features and dirt particle repellence behavior is a central task for a biomimetic transfer to an engineered model. In the present work we model the scopula of E. arcuata from a mechano-elastic point of view analyzing the influence of its hierarchical structure on the attachment behavior. By considering biological data of the gecko and spider, and the simulation results, the adhesive capabilities of the two animals are compared and important confirmations and new directives in order to reproduce the overall structure are found. Moreover, a possible suggestion of how the spider detaches in an easy and fast manner is proposed and supported by the results.

Key words: bionics, spider, dry adhesion, mechano-elastic model, hierarchical structure