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Volpe G, Collettini C, Taddeucci J, Marone C, Pozzi G. Frictional instabilities in clay illuminate the origin of slow earthquakes. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadn0869. [PMID: 38941467 PMCID: PMC11212734 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adn0869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024]
Abstract
The shallowest regions of subduction megathrusts mainly deform aseismically, but they can sporadically host slow-slip events (SSEs) and tsunami earthquakes, thus representing a severe hazard. However, the mechanisms behind these remain enigmatic because the frictional properties of shallow subduction zones, usually rich in clay, do not allow earthquake slip according to standard friction theory. We present experimental data showing that clay-rich faults with bulk rate-strengthening behavior and null healing rate, typically associated with aseismic creep, can contemporaneously creep and nucleate SSE. Our experiments document slow ruptures occurring within thin shear zones, driven by structural and stress heterogeneities of the experimental faults. We propose that bulk rate-strengthening frictional behavior promotes long-term aseismic creep, whereas localized frictional shear allows slow rupture nucleation and quasi-dynamic propagation typical of rate-weakening behavior. Our results provide additional understanding of fault friction and illustrate the complex behavior of clay-rich faults, providing an alternative paradigm for interpretation of the spectrum of fault slip including SSEs and tsunami earthquakes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Volpe
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, La Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Cristiano Collettini
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, La Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Chris Marone
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, La Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
- Department of Geoscience, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Giacomo Pozzi
- Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Rome, Italy
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Pampillón P, Santillán D, Mosquera JC, Cueto-Felgueroso L. The role of pore fluids in supershear earthquake ruptures. Sci Rep 2023; 13:398. [PMID: 36624113 PMCID: PMC9829726 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-27159-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The intensity and damage potential of earthquakes are linked to the speed at which rupture propagates along sliding crustal faults. Most earthquakes are sub-Rayleigh, with ruptures that are slower than the surface Rayleigh waves. In supershear earthquakes, ruptures are faster than the shear waves, leading to sharp pressure concentrations and larger intensities compared with the more common sub-Rayleigh ones. Despite significant theoretical and experimental advances over the past two decades, the geological and geomechanical controls on rupture speed transitions remain poorly understood. Here we propose that pore fluids play an important role in explaining earthquake rupture speed: the pore pressure may increase sharply at the compressional front during rupture propagation, promoting shear failure ahead of the rupture front and accelerating its propagation into the supershear range. We characterize the transition from sub-Rayleigh to supershear rupture in fluid-saturated rock, and show that the proposed poroelastic weakening mechanism may be a controlling factor for intersonic earthquake ruptures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Pampillón
- Department of Civil Engineering: Hydraulics, Energy and Environment, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - David Santillán
- Department of Civil Engineering: Hydraulics, Energy and Environment, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan C Mosquera
- Department of Continuum Mechanics and Theory of Structures, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Luis Cueto-Felgueroso
- Department of Civil Engineering: Hydraulics, Energy and Environment, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
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Trottet B, Simenhois R, Bobillier G, Bergfeld B, van Herwijnen A, Jiang C, Gaume J. Transition from sub-Rayleigh anticrack to supershear crack propagation in snow avalanches. NATURE PHYSICS 2022; 18:1094-1098. [PMID: 36097630 PMCID: PMC9458539 DOI: 10.1038/s41567-022-01662-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Snow slab avalanches, characterized by a distinct, broad fracture line, are released following anticrack propagation in highly porous weak snow layers buried below cohesive slabs. The anticrack mechanism is driven by the volumetric collapse of the weak layer, which leads to the closure of crack faces and to the onset of frictional contact. Here, on the basis of snow fracture experiments, full-scale avalanche measurements and numerical simulations, we report the existence of a transition from sub-Rayleigh anticrack to supershear crack propagation. This transition follows the Burridge-Andrews mechanism, in which a supershear daughter crack nucleates ahead of the main fracture front and eventually propagates faster than the shear wave speed. Furthermore, we show that the supershear propagation regime can exist even if the shear-to-normal stress ratio is lower than the static friction coefficient as a result of the loss of frictional resistance during collapse. This finding shows that snow slab avalanches have fundamental similarities with strike-slip earthquakes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bertil Trottet
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ron Simenhois
- Colorado Avalanche Information Center, Boulder, CO USA
| | | | - Bastian Bergfeld
- WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos, Switzerland
| | | | - Chenfanfu Jiang
- Department of Mathematics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA USA
| | - Johan Gaume
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos, Switzerland
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Wang M, Chen W, Zhao J, Yu L, Yan S. Hairy-Layer Friction Reduction Mechanism in the Honeybee Abdomen. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:24524-24531. [PMID: 34009931 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c05500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Abdominal sections of honeybees undergo numerous reciprocating motions during their lifetime. However, the overlapped contact areas adjacent to the abdominal sections have a shallow wear extent, a physical mechanism that remains obscure to date. Therefore, this study explored a biofrictional reduction model based on a solid surface texture and the hairy surface of the honeybee abdomen. We collected honeybee samples and observed their abdomens using a camera (Zeiss Stemi 508). Subsequently, we sliced these samples using a microtome and detected their microscopic friction. The exterior surface of the honeybee abdomen was not smooth but was distributed with a dense microvilli structure, which played a vital role in adjusting the friction reduction characteristics between the abdominal sections. When the adjacent abdominal sections moved relatively to each other, their upper and lower surfaces were not in direct rigid contact. Briefly, this study shows that the microscale hair arrays on the surface of the posterior abdominal segment can significantly reduce real contact area and friction, which considerably decreases wear or abrasion. The friction reduction mechanism alleviates the abrasion during the relative bending movement and saves a large amount of energy, which is essential for the honeybees' daily activities. This microtexture compliance friction reduction characteristic could be used to fabricate hierarchical surfaces for long-lasting friction reduction mechanisms, which increase the life of soft devices, including soft actuators and hinges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingyue Wang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, P. R. China
- Department of Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
| | - Weihua Chen
- Division of Intelligent and Biomechanical Systems, State Key Laboratory of Tribology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
| | - Jieliang Zhao
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, P. R. China
| | - Li Yu
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, P. R. China
| | - Shaoze Yan
- Division of Intelligent and Biomechanical Systems, State Key Laboratory of Tribology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
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Thøgersen K, Aharonov E, Barras F, Renard F. Minimal model for the onset of slip pulses in frictional rupture. Phys Rev E 2021; 103:052802. [PMID: 34134208 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.103.052802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
We present a minimal one-dimensional continuum model for the transition from cracklike to pulselike propagation of frictional rupture. In its nondimensional form, the model depends on only two free parameters: the nondimensional prestress and an elasticity ratio that accounts for the finite height of the system. The model predicts stable slip pulse solutions for slip boundary conditions, and unstable slip pulse solutions for stress boundary conditions. The results demonstrate that a mechanism based solely on elastic relaxation and redistribution of initial prestress can cause pulselike rupture, without any particular rate or slip dependences of dynamic friction. This means that pulselike propagation along frictional interfaces is likely a generic feature that can occur in systems of finite thickness over a wide range of friction constitutive laws.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kjetil Thøgersen
- The Njord Centre, Departments of Physics and Geosciences, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Einat Aharonov
- Institute of Earth Sciences, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel
| | - Fabian Barras
- The Njord Centre, Departments of Physics and Geosciences, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - François Renard
- The Njord Centre, Departments of Physics and Geosciences, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway
- Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, IRD, IFSTTAR, ISTerre, 38000 Grenoble, France
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Rubino V, Tal Y, Rosakis AJ, Lapusta N. Evolution of dynamic shear strength of frictional interfaces during rapid normal stress variations. EPJ WEB OF CONFERENCES 2021. [DOI: 10.1051/epjconf/202125001016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Pressure shear plate impact tests have revealed that when normal stress changes rapidly enough, the frictional shear resistance is no longer proportional to the normal stress but rather evolves with slip gradually. Motivated by these findings, we focus on characterizing the dynamic shear strength of frictional interfaces subject to rapid variations in normal stress. To study this problem, we use laboratory experiments featuring dynamic shear cracks interacting with a free surface and resulting in pronounced and rapid normal stress variations. As dynamic cracks tend to propagate close to the wave speeds of the material, capturing their behavior poses the metrological challenge of resolving displacements on the order of microns over timescales microseconds. Here we present our novel approach to quantify the full-field behavior of dynamic shear ruptures and the evolution of friction during sudden variations in normal stress, based on ultrahighspeed photography (at 1-2 million frames/sec) combined with digital image correlation. Our measurements allow us to capture the evolution of dynamic shear cracks during these short transients and enable us to decode the nature of dynamic friction.
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Berman N, Cohen G, Fineberg J. Dynamics and Properties of the Cohesive Zone in Rapid Fracture and Friction. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2020; 125:125503. [PMID: 33016754 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.125.125503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Revised: 06/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The cohesive zone is the elusive region in which material fracture takes place. Here, the putatively singular stresses at a crack's tip are regularized. We present experiments, performed on PMMA, in which we visualize the cohesive zone of frictional ruptures as they propagate. Identical to shear cracks, these ruptures range from slow velocities to nearly the limiting speeds of cracks. We reveal that the cohesive zone is a dynamic quantity; its spatial form undergoes a sharp transition between distinct phases at a critical velocity. The structure of these phases provides an important window into material properties under the extreme conditions that occur during fracture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neri Berman
- The Racah Institute of Physics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Gil Cohen
- The Racah Institute of Physics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Jay Fineberg
- The Racah Institute of Physics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
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Buijze L, Guo Y, Niemeijer AR, Ma S, Spiers CJ. Nucleation of Stick-Slip Instability Within a Large-Scale Experimental Fault: Effects of Stress Heterogeneities Due to Loading and Gouge Layer Compaction. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH. SOLID EARTH 2020; 125:e2019JB018429. [PMID: 32999804 PMCID: PMC7507769 DOI: 10.1029/2019jb018429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 07/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Geodetic observations and large-scale laboratory experiments show that seismic instability is preceded by slow slip within a finite nucleation zone. In laboratory experiments rupture nucleation is studied mostly using bare (rock) interfaces, whereas upper crustal faults are typically filled with gouge. To investigate effects of gouge on rupture nucleation, we performed a biaxial shearing experiment on a 350 mm long saw-cut fault filled with gypsum gouge, at room temperature and a minimum horizontal stress σ 2 = 0.3-5 MPa. The gouge layer was sandwiched between polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) plates For reference also a fault without gouge was deformed. Strain gauges and Digital Image Correlation were used to monitor the deformation field along the fault zone margins. Stick-slip behavior occurred on both the gouge-filled fault and the PMMA fault. Nucleation of instability on the PMMA fault persistently occurred from one location 2/3 to 3/4 along the fault adjacent to a slow slip zone at the fault end, but nucleation on the gouge-filled fault was more variable, nucleating at the ends and/or at approximately 2/3 along the fault, with precursory slip occurring over a large fraction of the fault. Nucleation correlated to regions of high average fault stress ratio τ/σ n , which was more variable for the gouge-filled fault due to small length scale variations in normal stress caused by heterogeneous gouge compaction. Rupture velocities and slip rates were lower for the gouge-filled fault than for the bare PMMA fault. Stick-slip persisted when σ 2 was lowered and the nucleation zone length increased, expanding from the center to the sample ends before transitioning into instability.
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Affiliation(s)
- L. Buijze
- High Pressure Temperature Laboratory, Department of Earth SciencesUtrecht UniversityUtrechtThe Netherlands
- Applied Geosciences, Energy Transition, TNOUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Y. Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Earthquake DynamicsInstitute of Geology, China Earthquake AdministrationBeijingChina
| | - A. R. Niemeijer
- High Pressure Temperature Laboratory, Department of Earth SciencesUtrecht UniversityUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - S. Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Earthquake DynamicsInstitute of Geology, China Earthquake AdministrationBeijingChina
| | - C. J. Spiers
- High Pressure Temperature Laboratory, Department of Earth SciencesUtrecht UniversityUtrechtThe Netherlands
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Lotus Effect and Friction: Does Nonsticky Mean Slippery? Biomimetics (Basel) 2020; 5:biomimetics5020028. [PMID: 32545628 PMCID: PMC7344480 DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics5020028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Lotus-effect-based superhydrophobicity is one of the most celebrated applications of biomimetics in materials science. Due to a combination of controlled surface roughness (surface patterns) and low-surface energy coatings, superhydrophobic surfaces repel water and, to some extent, other liquids. However, many applications require surfaces which are water-repellent but provide high friction. An example would be highway or runway pavements, which should support high wheel–pavement traction. Despite a common perception that making a surface non-wet also makes it slippery, the correlation between non-wetting and low friction is not always direct. This is because friction and wetting involve many mechanisms and because adhesion cannot be characterized by a single factor. We review relevant adhesion mechanisms and parameters (the interfacial energy, contact angle, contact angle hysteresis, and specific fracture energy) and discuss the complex interrelation between friction and wetting, which is crucial for the design of biomimetic functional surfaces.
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Abstract
Frictional motion between contacting bodies is governed by propagating rupture fronts that are essentially earthquakes. These fronts break the contacts composing the interface separating the bodies to enable their relative motion. The most general type of frictional motion takes place when the two bodies are not identical. Within these so-called bimaterial interfaces, the onset of frictional motion is often mediated by highly localized rupture fronts, called slip pulses. Here, we show how this unique rupture mode develops, evolves, and changes the character of the interface's behavior. Bimaterial slip pulses initiate as "subshear" cracks (slower than shear waves) that transition to developed slip pulses where normal stresses almost vanish at their leading edge. The observed slip pulses propagate solely within a narrow range of "transonic" velocities, bounded between the shear wave velocity of the softer material and a limiting velocity. We derive analytic solutions for both subshear cracks and the leading edge of slip pulses. These solutions both provide an excellent description of our experimental measurements and quantitatively explain slip pulses' limiting velocities. We furthermore find that frictional coupling between local normal stress variations and frictional resistance actually promotes the interface separation that is critical for slip-pulse localization. These results provide a full picture of slip-pulse formation and structure that is important for our fundamental understanding of both earthquake motion and the most general types of frictional processes.
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Thøgersen K, Sveinsson HA, Amundsen DS, Scheibert J, Renard F, Malthe-Sørenssen A. Minimal model for slow, sub-Rayleigh, supershear, and unsteady rupture propagation along homogeneously loaded frictional interfaces. Phys Rev E 2019; 100:043004. [PMID: 31771025 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.100.043004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In nature and experiments, a large variety of rupture speeds and front modes along frictional interfaces are observed. Here, we introduce a minimal model for the rupture of homogeneously loaded interfaces with velocity strengthening dynamic friction, containing only two dimensionless parameters; τ[over ¯], which governs the prestress, and α[over ¯], which is set by the interfacial viscosity. This model contains a large variety of front types, including slow fronts, sub-Rayleigh fronts, supershear fronts, slip pulses, cracks, arresting fronts, and fronts that alternate between arresting and propagating phases. Our results indicate that this wide range of front types is an inherent property of frictional systems with velocity strengthening branches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kjetil Thøgersen
- Physics of Geological Processes, The NJORD Centre, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Henrik Andersen Sveinsson
- Physics of Geological Processes, The NJORD Centre, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Physics, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Julien Scheibert
- Univ Lyon, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, ENISE, ENTPE, CNRS, Laboratoire de Tribologie et Dynamique des Systèmes LTDS, UMR 5513, F-69134, Ecully, France
| | - François Renard
- Physics of Geological Processes, The NJORD Centre, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway
- University Grenoble Alpes, University Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, IRD, IFSTTAR, ISTerre, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Anders Malthe-Sørenssen
- Physics of Geological Processes, The NJORD Centre, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Physics, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway
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Putelat T, Dawes JHP, Champneys AR. A phase-plane analysis of localized frictional waves. Proc Math Phys Eng Sci 2017; 473:20160606. [PMID: 28804255 PMCID: PMC5549563 DOI: 10.1098/rspa.2016.0606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2016] [Accepted: 06/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Sliding frictional interfaces at a range of length scales are observed to generate travelling waves; these are considered relevant, for example, to both earthquake ground surface movements and the performance of mechanical brakes and dampers. We propose an explanation of the origins of these waves through the study of an idealized mechanical model: a thin elastic plate subject to uniform shear stress held in frictional contact with a rigid flat surface. We construct a nonlinear wave equation for the deformation of the plate, and couple it to a spinodal rate-and-state friction law which leads to a mathematically well-posed problem that is capable of capturing many effects not accessible in a Coulomb friction model. Our model sustains a rich variety of solutions, including periodic stick–slip wave trains, isolated slip and stick pulses, and detachment and attachment fronts. Analytical and numerical bifurcation analysis is used to show how these states are organized in a two-parameter state diagram. We discuss briefly the possible physical interpretation of each of these states, and remark also that our spinodal friction law, though more complicated than other classical rate-and-state laws, is required in order to capture the full richness of wave types.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Putelat
- Department of Engineering Mathematics, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1UB, UK
| | - J H P Dawes
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | - A R Champneys
- Department of Engineering Mathematics, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1UB, UK
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