Orientation angle and the adhesion of single gecko setae.

Autor: Hill GC; Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. ginelhill@gmail.com, Soto DR, Peattie AM, Full RJ, Kenny TW
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Journal of the Royal Society, Interface [J R Soc Interface] 2011 Jul 06; Vol. 8 (60), pp. 926-33. Date of Electronic Publication: 2011 Feb 02.
DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2010.0720
Abstrakt: We investigated the effects of orientation angle on the adhesion of single gecko setae using dual-axis microelectromechanical systems force sensors to simultaneously detect normal and shear force components. Adhesion was highly sensitive to the pitch angle between the substrate and the seta's stalk. Maximum lateral adhesive force was observed with the stalk parallel to the substrate, and adhesion decreased smoothly with increasing pitch. The roll orientation angle only needed to be roughly correct with the spatular tuft of the seta oriented grossly towards the substrate for high adhesion. Also, detailed measurements were made to control for the effect of normal preload forces. Higher normal preload forces caused modest enhancement of the observed lateral adhesive force, provided that adequate contact was made between the seta and the substrate. These results should be useful in the design and manufacture of gecko-inspired synthetic adhesives with anisotropic properties, an area of substantial recent research efforts.
Databáze: MEDLINE