Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Experimental study on the microstructure and nanomechanical properties of the wing membrane of dragonfly

  • Research Paper
  • Published:
Acta Mechanica Sinica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Detailed investigations on the microstructure and the mechanical properties of the wing membrane of the dragonfly are carried out. It is found that in the direction of the thickness the membrane was divided into three layers rather than a single entity as traditionally considered, and on the surfaces the membrane displays a random distribution rough microstructure that is composed of numerous nanometer scale columns coated by the cuticle wax secreted. The characteristics of the surface structure are measured and described. The mechanical properties of the membranes taken separately from the wings of live and dead dragonflies are investigated by the nanoindentation technique. The Young’s moduli obtained here are approximately two times greater than the previous result, and the reasons that yield the difference are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Dalton S. (1975). Borne on the wind: the extraordinary world of insects in flight. Reader’s Digest Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  2. Wootton R.J. (1990). The mechanical design of insect wings. Sci. Am. 11: 114–120

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Wootton R.J. (1992). Functional morphology of insect wings. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 37: 113–140

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Smith C.W., Herbert R., Wootton R.J. and Evans K.E. (2000). The hind wing of the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria Forskål). II. Mechanical properties and functioning of the membrane. J. Exp. Biol. 203: 2933–2943

    Google Scholar 

  5. Combes S.A. and Daniel T.L. (2003). Flexural stiffness in insect wings I. Scaling and the influence of wing venation. J. Exp. Biol. 206: 2979–2987

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Ho S., Nassaf H., Pornsin-Sirirak N., Tai Y.C. and Ho C.M. (2002). Flight dynamics of small vehicles. In: Grant, I. (eds) Proceedings of the international council of the aeronautical sciences (ICAS), pp 551.1–551.10. ICAS, Toronto

    Google Scholar 

  7. Fearing, R.S., Chiang, K.H., Dickinson, M.H., Pick, D.L., Sitti, M., Yan, J.: Wing transmission of a micromechanical flying insect. In: Alessandro D.L. (ed.) Proceedings of the 2000, IEEE. international conference on robotics and automation, pp. 1509–1516, Wiley, San Francisco, CA, New Jersey (2000)

  8. Newman D.J.S. and Wootton R.J. (1986). An approach to the mechanics of pleating in dragonfly wings. J. Exp. Biol. 125: 361–372

    Google Scholar 

  9. Kreuz, P., Kesel, B., Arnold, W., Vehoff, H., Nachtigall, W.: Strukter-und materialanalyse biologischer systeme-die Flugelkutikula der insekten (Odonata, Anisoptera). In: Nachtigall W., Wisser A. (eds.) Biona-Report 14, pp. 16–17, Fischer, Stuttgart (2000)

  10. Oliver W.C. and Pharr G.M. (1992). An improved technique for determining hardness and elastic-modulus using load and displacement sensing indentation experiments. J. Mater. Res. 7: 1564–1583

    Google Scholar 

  11. Morgen S.E., Misra R. and Jones P. (2006). Nanomechanical and surface frictional characteristics of a copolymer based on benzoyl-1, 4-phenylene and 1, 3-phenylene. Polymer 47: 2865–2873

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Song F., Lee K.L., Soh A.K., Zhu F. and Bai Y.L. (2004). Experimental studies of the material properties of the forewing of cicada (Homóptera, Cicàdidae). J. Exp. Biol. 207: 3035–3042

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Joslin D.L. and Oliver W.C. (1990). A new method for analyzing data from continuous depth-sensing microindentation tests. J. Mater. Res. 5: 123–126

    Google Scholar 

  14. Saha R. and Nix W.D. (2002). Effects of the substrate on the determination of thin film mechanical properties by nanoindentation. Acta Mater. 50: 23–38

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Zhang T.H. and Huan Y. (2004). Substrate effects on the micro/nanomechanical properties of TiN costings. Tribol. Lett. 17: 911–916

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Zhang T.H. and Huan Y. (2005). Nanoindentation and nanoscrach behaviors of DLC coatings on different steel substrates. Composites Sci. Technol. 65: 1409–1413

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Gosline J.M. (1988). The elastic properties of rubber-like proteins and highly extensile tissues. In: Vincent, J.F.V. and Currey, J.D. (eds) The Mechanical Properties of Biological Materials, pp 331–358. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Nonlinear Mechanics (LNM), Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100080, China

    Kewei Xiao & Fan Song

  2. Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, 100083, China

    Ke Bai

  3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China

    Wensheng Wang

Authors
  1. Kewei Xiao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ke Bai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Wensheng Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Fan Song
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fan Song.

Additional information

The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (10372102 and 10672164).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Xiao, K., Bai, K., Wang, W. et al. Experimental study on the microstructure and nanomechanical properties of the wing membrane of dragonfly. Acta Mech Sin 23, 281–285 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10409-007-0070-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10409-007-0070-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation