Locomotive and Adhesive Behavior of Apopestes spectrum on Murals in Mogao Grottoes, Dunhuang

Abstract:

Adhesion of insects on murals is one of key factors leading to the biological diseases of wall paintings in cave temples. Murals in Mogao Grottoes, Dunhuang is art treasures. It is very important to study insects damage on murals for Mogao Grottoes preservation. We recorded locomotion and adhesive behavior of Apopestes spectrum on murals in Mogao Grottoes and simulated murals. The insects can creep steadily on inclined mural surfaces which angle of slopes are 90°, 135° and 180°, respectively. Its gait parameters were adjusted with the change of angle of slope. Apopestes spectrum adjust their locomotive and adhesive patterns on vertical murals with the change of roughness of the murals surface. The insects cant adhere on two kinds of simulated mural surfaces in ultramarine and realgar color whose roughness are 1.154~1.156 μm. And they can adhere on seven kinds of simulated surfaces in iron yellow, indigo, white lead, red lead, orpiment, vermilion and yellow lead color whose roughness are 1.319~2.714 μm depending on the mechanism of mechanical interlocking between claws and substrates. With the help of wing flapping, the insects can creep on these simulated murals. Apopestes spectrum can freely move and stably adhere by claws on other seven kinds of simulated surfaces in atacamite, ink, talc, gypsum, natural red soil, azurite and malachite color whose roughness are 3.129~6.662 μm. When insects climb on murals, their claw tips flip on the substrates and damage the surface the murals. Keywords: insect, locomotion, adhesion, mural, claw

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volume 461)
• Pages: 235-240
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.461.235
• Online since: November 2013
• Authors: Ai Hong Ji, Wan Fu Wang, Jun Feng Yan, Fa Si Wu
• Keywords: Adhesion, Claw, Insect, Locomotion, Mural

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