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

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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.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. DIEGM, Department of Electrical, Management and Mechanical Engineering, University of Udine, Via delle Scienze, 208-33100, Udine, Italy

    Alessandro Gasparetto & Renato Vidoni

  2. Advanced Concepts Team, European Space Agency, 2201 AZ, Noordwijk, The Netherlands

    Tobias Seidl

Authors
  1. Alessandro Gasparetto
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  2. Tobias Seidl
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  3. Renato Vidoni
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Correspondence to Alessandro Gasparetto.

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Gasparetto, A., Seidl, T. & Vidoni, R. A Mechanical Model for the Adhesion of Spiders to Nominally Flat Surfaces. J Bionic Eng 6, 135–142 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1016/S1672-6529(08)60110-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1672-6529(08)60110-9

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