Recent advances in gecko adhesion and friction mechanisms and development of gecko-inspired dry adhesive surfaces

The remarkable ability of geckos to climb and run rapidly on walls and ceilings has recently received considerable interest from many researchers.Significant progress has been made in understanding the attachment and detachment mechanisms and the fabrication of articulated gecko-inspired adhesives and structured surfaces.This article reviews the direct experiments that have investigated the properties of gecko hierarchical structures,i.e.,the feet,toes,setae,and spatulae,and the corresponding models to ascertain the mechanical principles involved.Included in this review are reports on gecko-inspired surfaces and structures with strong adhesion forces,high ratios of adhesion and friction forces,anisotropic hierarchical structures that give rise to directional adhesion and friction,and“intelligent”attachment and detachment motions.

Stability analysis of shallow tunnels subjected to eccentric loads by a boundary element method

This paper presents the results of the shear strength（frictional strength） of cemented paste backfillcemented paste backfill（CPB-CPB） and cemented paste backfillerock wall（CPB-rock） interfaces. The frictional behaviors of these interfaces were assessed for the short-term curing times（3 d and 7 d） using a direct shear apparatus RDS-200 from GCTS（Geotechnical Consulting ＆ Testing Systems）. The shear（friction） tests were performed at three different constant normal stress levels on flat and smooth interfaces. These tests aimed at understanding the mobilized shear strength at the CPB-rock and CPB-CPB interfaces during and/or after open stope filling（no exposed face）. The applied normal stress levels were varied in a range corresponding to the usually measured in-situ horizontal pressures（longitudinal or transverse） developed within paste-filled stopes（uniaxial compressive strength, s c 150 k Pa）. Results show that the mobilized shear strength is higher at the CPB-CPB interface than that at the CPB-rock interface. Also, the perfect elastoplastic behaviors observed for the CPB-rock interfaces were not observed for the CPB-CPB interfaces with low cement content which exhibits a strain-hardening behavior. These results are useful to estimate or validate numerical model for pressures determination in cemented backfill stope at short term. The tests were performed on real backfill and granite. The results may help understanding the mechanical behavior of the cemented paste backfill in general and, in particular, analyzing the shear strength at backfillebackfill and backfill-rock interfaces.

Contribution of friction and adhesion to the reliable attachment of a gecko to smooth inclines

Geckos' ability to move on steep surfaces depends on their excellent adhesive structure, timely adjustments on locomotor behaviors, and elaborates control on reaction forces. However, it is still unclear how they can generate a sufficient driving force that is necessary for locomotion, while ensuring reliable adhesion on steep inclines. We measured the forces acting on each foot and recorded the contact states between feet and substrates when geckos encountered smooth inclination challenges ranging from 0° to 180°. The critical angles of the resultant force vectors of the front and hind-feet increased with respect to the incline angles. When the incline angle became greater than 120°, the critical angles of the front- and hind-feet were similar, and the averages of the critical angles of the front - and hind-feet were both smaller than 120°, indicating that the complicated and accurate synergy among toes endows gecko's foot an obvious characteristic of "frictional adhesion" during locomotion. Additionally, we established a contact mechanical model for gecko's foot in order to quantify the contribution of the frictional forces generated by the heel, and the adhesion forces generated by the toes on various inclines. The synergy between multiple contact mechanisms(friction or adhesion) is critical for the reliable attachment on an inclined surface, which is impossible to achieve by using a single-contact mechanism, thereby increasing the animal's ability to adapt to its environment.

Microscopic dynamic observation of adhesion hysteresis friction and exploration of the influence of different pressures on friction transmission

The mechanism of adhesive friction between viscoelastic materials is a key question.In this study,the friction process of the adhesive interface between a friction lining and a wire rope is dynamically observed in real time to analyze the adhesion hysteresis friction intuitively and quantitatively.The adhesion is determined by the state of motion,while the relative displacement of the wire rope and lining is used to find the magnitude of the adhesive friction.The hysteresis friction is reflected by the internal deformation of the lining.The magnitude of the hysteresis friction is determined by the displacement difference(Ax)in the sliding direction of two marked points at different distances from the contact surface.The results show that the adhesion friction is proportional to the loss modulus and the hysteresis friction is proportional to the ratio of the loss modulus to the square of the storage modulus(E"/(E'^(2))).The frictional vibration first decreases and then increases with the increase in pressure.The K25 lining has the highest adhesion hysteresis friction and minimal frictional vibration.The result provides a simple and intuitive method for research into the friction transmission and vibration of viscoelastic materials.