Natures wonders: more biomimetics; snake skin (Introduction)

by David Turell , Wednesday, July 01, 2015, 00:30 (3432 days ago) @ David Turell

Snake skin is slick, 40% reduction in friction:-http://phys.org/news/2015-06-snake-skin-surfaces-percent-friction.html-"Snake skin inspired surfaces smash records, providing an astonishing 40% friction reduction in tests of high performance materials.-"These new surfaces could improve the reliability of mechanical components in machines such as high performance cars and add grist to the mill of engineers designing a new generation of space exploration robots.-"The skin of many snakes and lizards has been studied by biologists and has long been known to provide friction reduction to the animal as it moves. It is also resistant to wear, particularly in environments that are dry and dusty or sandy.-"Dr Greiner and his team used a laser to etch the surface of a steel pin so that it closely resembled the texture of snake skin. They then tested the friction created when the pin moved against another surface.-"In dry conditions, i.e. with no oil or other lubricant, the scale-like surface created far less friction—40% less—than its smooth counterpart."