On the Modeling of Dynamic Friction Phenomena

A low-dimensional dynamic model of frictional interactions is proposed by considering microscopic interactions between nominally flat surfaces. Coupling is introduced between the tangential motion and the separation of the surfaces due to the asperity contact between the surfaces. The numerical and analytical predictions of the resulting nonlinear model are found to qualitatively agree with a number of experimentally observed properties of friction. The paper suggests a means for arriving at a friction model in which ad hoc assumptions on the form of functions appear at a more fundamental level in the derivation than in previous modeling work. Indeed, properties of the present model are believed to be generic for models incorporating similar interactions.