Abstract
In this study, we aim to probe the self-righting behavior of abalone on a substrate based on experiments and mechanistic analyses. A successful self-righting process of abalone is observed, and its critical condition in theory can be given in terms of the rotation angle. Then, according to the moment balance and potential energy minimization, the required tension force of the abalone foot for self-righting is derived with respect to the rotation angle. The experimental result also shows that in many cases the abalone cannot finish this self-righting process. Then, measurements on the tolerant strength of abalone muscle and tolerant adhesion strength of the foot on substrate are both conducted. It is judged that the abalone muscle is strong enough, which can provide enough tension force, and thus, the self-righting mainly depends on the adhesion area of the foot on substrate. These findings cast new light on engineering new types of biomaterials and devices, such as marine equipment and soft robotics.
Highlights
Over millions of years’ evolution, many living creatures on earth have developed ingenious structures and functions to adapt to severe wild environments
It can be seen that initially one point on the profile of the shell contacts the substrate, and when the rotation angle attains to a transition angle α0, the shell contacts the surface with the fulcrum point A′
The rotation angle corresponding to the state when the line CA′ is vertical to the surface is defined as αc, and in geometry, this is the critical state for abalone self
Summary
Over millions of years’ evolution, many living creatures on earth have developed ingenious structures and functions to adapt to severe wild environments. Marine creatures such as mussels [1] and barnacles [2, 3] can tightly adhere to the surfaces of ships, rocks, and iron platforms. These two animals can attach on the substrate permanently, as the mucus secreted from their mucous glands acts as a kind of biological viscose. Octopus and clingfish both use suckers depending on atmospheric pressure to create firm attachment [5, 6] Another typical animal relying on adhesion is gecko, who can run and even jump on the wall to hunt mosquitoes. The adhesion of gecko mainly benefits from the van der Waals force between its feet and the contact surface, as there are numerous seta-based nanofibres distributed on the feet [7,8,9,10]
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