AsianScientist (Jan. 30, 2012) – Taking inspiration from the yellow fattail scorpion, which uses a bionic shield to protect itself against scratches from desert sandstorms, scientists have developed a new way to protect the moving parts of machinery from wear and tear.
Solid particle erosion – one of the main reasons for material damage or equipment failure – causes millions of dollars of damage each year to helicopter rotors, rocket motor nozzles, turbine blades, pipes, and other mechanical parts. The damage occurs when particles of dirt, grit, and other hard material in the air, water, or other fluids strike the surfaces of those parts.
Although filters can help remove the particles, they must be replaced or regularly cleaned. Erosion-resistant materials, while harder and more resistant to scratches, are also costlier to develop and make.
In a paper published in the journal Langmuir, Zhiwu Han and colleagues from Jilin University in China studied how the yellow fattail scorpion evolved to survive the abrasive power of harsh sandstorms.
First, they scanned the bumps and grooves on the scorpions’ backs with a 3-D laser device and developed a computer program that simulated the flow of sand-laden air over the scorpions. Next, they developed novel patterned surfaces which they tested by computer simulation. Finally, real-life erosion tests were conducted on these patterned surfaces in a simple erosion wind tunnel to confirm the simulation data.
Together, their results showed that a series of small grooves at a 30-degree angle to the flowing gas or liquid gave steel surfaces the best protection from erosion.
The article can be found at: Han Z et al. (2011) Erosion Resistance of Bionic Functional Surfaces Inspired from Desert Scorpions.
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Source: American Chemical Society.
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