Friction and Wear Properties of the Tergum Surface of Mole Cricket, <i>Gryllotalpa orientalis</i>

Abstract

Mole cricket is typical insect living under the ground, which tergum is the main component that suffers the wear and tear from the soil particles. In order to adapt this environment, mole crickets have anatomically evolved well-suited tergum with wear-resistance property, which can protect the body from abrasion and damage. In this study, the surface morphology and structure of the tergum of mole cricket were studied and analyzed by stereomicroscope (SM) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). By using a Universal Micro-Tribotester (UMT), the friction-wear properties and the performances of the tergum surface were tested along with the head direction, tail direction and lateral direction of body, respectively. The result shows that the setae have obvious influence on the friction characteristic of mole crickets tergum. By comparing with other direction, the tergum surface has better friction properties on the setae growth direction. This study can be a reference for the design of novel wear resistance surface.