Design and Analysis on the Increasing Friction Mechanism of the Convex-Hull-Typed Bionic Driving Drum

Abstract

The micro textures in the foot surface of the animals such as locust and tree frog have been analyzed with the bionic tribology and several kinds of the convex-hull-typed bionic driving drums are designed. According to the friction mechanism of the rubber material and the simulation results by the software ANSYS, the increasing friction mechanism of the convex-hull-typed bionic driving drum is analyzed. When the convex-hull-typed bionic driving drum contacts with the rubber belt, besides the sliding friction force, the friction force between them also includes the additional resistance resulted from the inlaying ‘meshing effect’ between the convex hulls and the rubber belt. The convex hulls on the surface diminish the contact area, so does the sliding friction force. Therefore, only if the additional resistance greater than the decrease of the sliding friction force, the convex-hull-typed bionic surface can increase the friction force. The dynamic tension measuring system of the belt conveyor is designed and manufactured to measure the friction coefficient between the belt and the driving drum. The experiment results prove that the convex-hull-typed bionic driving drums that meet the certain conditions have the increasing friction effect. The research achievement can be used in many situations which need increase the friction force.