Contact mechanics of pad of grasshopper(Insecta:ORTHOPTERA) by finite element methods
During locomotion,insect feet bear dramatic impact force and some of the feet generate adhesiveforce which is controlled by the architecture of the foot.The patterns of smooth attachment pads in insect feetvary widely among insect orders and families.The functional significance of the micro-structure and geometricdesign of insect feet remains largely unknown.In this study,we developed a two-dimensional finite elementmodel of a grasshopper’s attachment pad.Realistic geometric microstructure and material properties are appliedin the biomechanical analysis of the structural behavior during contact.Here we use scanning electronicmicroscopy to study the microstructure of the grasshopper’s pad,and then use the finite element method tocalculate the deformation vector fields,contact stiffness,contact area,function of the airbag and strain fieldsduring the contact process.The results reveal that the geometric design and material topology of pads ofgrasshopper are very effective in reducing contact stiffness,increasing contact area and generating high frictionforce during the contact procedure in the normal direction.The rod-containing structure supporting the softexocuticle makes the pads highly adaptive to various surfaces and decreases the stress inside the pads.
Grasshopper Contact mechanics Functional morphology Biomimetics Finite-element analysis
Dai Zhendong Stanislav Gorb
Institute of Bio-inspired Structure and Surface Engineering,Nanjing University of Aeronautics and As Evolutionary Biomaterials Group,Max-Pianck-lnstitute for Metals Research,Germany,70569
国际会议
南京
英文
131-137
2008-10-01（万方平台首次上网日期，不代表论文的发表时间）