Joint shaped as suction cup prevents peeling: bull kelp

The attachment site of many aquatic organisms avoids peeling via glued joints that resemble suction cups.

Biomimicry Taxonomy

	Move or stay put >
	Attach >
	Permanently

Biomimetic Application Ideas

Attachment mechanisms for load-bearing structures and uneven surfaces, bonding applications for two different surfaces, strong reusable adhesives.

[Collapse all sections] Summary

"Loads that might cause peeling occur widely in nature. Neither the holdfast of a large marine alga nor the byssal thread of an intertidal mussel nor the foot of the wave-challenged snail can be assured of tensile forces perpendicular to its attachment surface. All respond with some tapering disk of attachment that's increasingly flexible peripherally (fig. 21.1b)--the whole thing distorts a little to avoid stress concentrations at an edge. Thus, a good shape for a glued joint may resemble (and may also function as) a suction cup, even though the two mechanisms are physically distinct." (Vogel 2003:425)

About the inspiring organism

Bull kelp
Nereocystis luetkeana (Mertens) Postels & Ruprecht
[Seatron, bull kelp]

IUCN Red List Status: Unknown
Habitat(s): Marine Coastal/Supratidal

Some organism data provided by: AlgaeBase
Organism/taxonomy data provided by:
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist

Bioinspired products and application ideas

Application Ideas: Attachment mechanisms for load-bearing structures and uneven surfaces, bonding applications for two different surfaces, strong reusable adhesives.

Industrial Sector(s) interested in this strategy: Marine infrastructure, construction, manufacturing

References

Steven Vogel. 2003. Comparative Biomechanics: Life's Physical World. Princeton: Princeton University Press. 580 p.

Joint shaped as suction cup prevents peeling: bull kelp

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