仿生黏附材料的黏附性能评价及初步应用探索

针对空间微重力条件下固体间稳定黏附的技术需求,基于范德华力黏附作用机制的仿生黏附材料有望在空间环境中展现稳定黏附性能。通过模板法和化学气相沉积法制备出具有仿壁虎刚毛纤维阵列结构的聚乙烯基硅氧烷(PVS)高分子聚合物及垂直定向排列碳纳米管阵列(VACNT)仿生黏附材料,再由扫描电子显微镜、黏附-脱附行为测试平台对仿生黏附材料的微观结构及黏附行为进行了测试,并对种子、粮食颗粒及常用零部件的黏附固定效果进行了初步考察。结果表明,仿生黏附材料具有微纳米级刚毛结构。PVS具有稳定的可重复黏附特性,其法向黏附性能优于切向黏附性能,与蘑菇状顶端在黏附中发挥主要作用有关。而VACNT具有稳定的切向可重复黏附特性,其切向黏附性能优于法向黏附性能,是由VACNT黏附主要依靠侧面接触决定。VACNT和PVS对不同品种的生菜种子和粮食颗粒均能产生有效黏附固定,PVS还能够对空间站常用到的零部件进行稳定固定。

A Learning-based Control Framework for Fast and Accurate Manipulation of a Flexible Object

This paper presents a learning-based control framework for fast(<1.5 s)and accurate manipulation of a flexible object,i.e.,whip targeting.The framework consists of a motion planner learned or optimized by an algorithm,Online Impedance Adaptation Control(OIAC),a sim2real mechanism,and a visual feedback component.The experimental results show that a soft actor-critic algorithm outperforms three Deep Reinforcement Learning(DRL),a nonlinear optimization,and a genetic algorithm in learning generalization of motion planning.It can greatly reduce average learning trials(to<20 of others)and maximize average rewards(to>3 times of others).Besides,motion tracking errors are greatly reduced to 13.29 and 22.36 of constant impedance control by the OIAC of the proposed framework.In addition,the trajectory similarity between simulated and physical whips is 89.09.The presented framework provides a new method integrating data-driven and physics-based algorithms for controlling fast and accurate arm manipulation of a flexible object.

The frequency of wing damage in a migrating butterfly

The ability to fly is crucial for migratory insects.Consequently,the accumulation of damage on the wings over time can affect survival,especially for species that travel long distances.We examined the frequency of irreversible wing damage in the migratory butterfly Vanessa cardui to explore the effect of wing structure on wing damage frequency,as well as the mechanisms that might mitigate wing damage.An exceptionally high migration rate driven by high precipitation levels in their larval habitats in the winter of 2018–2019 provided us with an excellent opportunity to collect data on the frequency of naturally occurring wing damage associated with long-distance flights.Digital images of 135 individuals of V.cardui were collected and analyzed in Germany.The results show that the hindwings experienced a greater frequency of damage than the forewings.Moreover,forewings experienced more severe damage on the lateral margin,whereas hindwings experienced more damage on the trailing margin.The frequency of wing margin damage was higher in the painted lady butterfly than in the migrating monarch butterfly and in the butterfly Pontia occidentalis following artificially induced wing collisions.The results of this study could be used in future comparative studies of patterns of wing damage in butterflies and other insects.Additional studies are needed to clarify whether the strategies for coping with wing damage differ between migratory and nonmigratory species.

The Role of Vanes in the Damping of Bird Feathers

Bird feathers sustain bending and vibrations during flight.Such unwanted vibrations could potentially cause noise and flight instabilities.Damping could alter the system response,resulting in improving quiet flight,stability,and controllability.Vanes of feathers are known to be indispensable for supporting the aerodynamic function of the wings.The relationship between the hierarchical structures of vanes and the mechanical properties of the feather has been previously studied.However,still little is known about their relationship with feathers’damping properties.Here,the role of vanes in feathers’damping properties was quantified.The vibrations of the feathers with vanes and the bare shaft without vanes after step deflections in the plane of the vanes and perpendicular to it were measured using high-speed video recording.The presence of several main natural vibration modes was observed in the feathers with vanes.After trimming vanes,more vibration modes were observed,the fundamental frequencies increased by 51-70%,and the damping ratio decreased by 38-60%.Therefore,we suggest that vanes largely increase feather damping properties.Damping mechanisms based on the morphology of feather vanes are discussed.The aerodynamic damping is connected with the planar vane surface,the structural damping is related to the interlocking between barbules and barbs,and the material damping is caused by the foamy medulla inside barbs.

Effects of Morphological Integrity of Secondary Feather on Their Drag Reduction in Pigeons

Flight feathers of birds interact with the air flow during flight.How the observed low drag and high lift values at wind speeds from 9.0 to 19.8 m/s can be achieved due to the feather aerodynamics remains unknown.In the present paper,we tested and compared morphological changes,drag reduction and flow visualization results of intact,damaged,and artificial feathers at different wind speeds in a wind tunnel.Through the analysis of the drag force and resultant force angle,we proved that the integrity of feathers,whose barbs are usually closely interconnected,played an important role in the drag,which potentially triggers excellent drag reduction performance.The wind tunnel tests indicated that intact secondary feathers had a surprisingly high maximum drag reduction property at v?=?9 m/s compared with the feathers,where the integrity of barbs was damaged.The hook cascades facilitated elasticity under pressure and suitable permeability in an intact feather,when the hooks were interlocked.It was indicated that the suitable permeability of intact feathers would prevent flow separation and reduce drag force at low wind speed;at high wind speed,elasticity under pressure and suitable permeability in an intact feather would facilitate strong squeezing effect,helping feathers withstand larger aerodynamic forces to which they might be subjected during flight.It was revealed that the intact secondary feather is a compromise between strong lift generation and drag reduction,which has a great significance for the bird’s flight.

Micro-structure and frictional characteristics of beetle's joint

Geometric and micro-structure design, tribology properties of beetle joints were experimentally studied, which aimed to enlighten ideas for the joint design of MEMS.The observation by using SEM and microscopy suggested that beetle's joints consist of a concave surface matched with a convex surface. The heads of the beetles, rubbing with flat glass, were tested in fresh and dried statuses and compared with sapphire ball with flat glass. Frictional coefficient of the joint material on glass was significantly lower than that of the sapphire sphere on glass. The material of the joint cuticle for convex surface is rather stiff (the elastic modulus 4.5 Gpa) and smooth. The surface is hydrophobic (the contact angle of distilled water was 88.3° ). It is suggested here that the high stiffness of the joint material and hydrophobicity of the joint surface are parts of the mechanism minimizing friction in insect joints.