CHAPTER 1

Introduction

1.1 DEFINITIONS OF FRICTION, DYNAMICS,

AND FRICTION DYNAMICS
When the surfaces of two objects are placed in contact and allowed to slide
against one another, there is a resistance to this motion. This resistance is
known as friction. Friction is one of the most important problems in
tribology, the science and technology of interacting surfaces in relative
motion concerned with friction, wear, and lubrication in interfaces.
Dynamics deals with the motion of rigid or deformable bodies and the forces
associated with it. Dynamical systems with friction often give rise to diverse
forms of motion.
The contact and friction events between two contact surfaces constitute
an energy transition and dissipation process. The kinetic energy of driving
bodies is usually transferred to the driven body through friction and is also
transferred into the dissipative energy of irregular microscopic motion of
the interface asperities, particles, and atoms for deformable bodies. The
friction usually gives rise to motion, oscillatory vibrations, or vibrations
propagating in media.
Up to now, there has been no universally accepted friction model or
theory to cover general friction phenomena due to its multiphysics nature.
Different models have been developed for individual conditions [1e4]. Part
of the reason for this is that friction is a complex process in which forces are
transmitted, mechanical energy is converted, surface topography is altered,
interface material can be removed or formed, and physical and even
chemical changes can occur. Actually, friction can be assumed to be a
variable in a dynamical system with a sliding interface, which is complicated
by the fact that this system’s boundary conditions are not stationary and
deterministic due to interfacial changes in geometrical, mechanical, mate-
rial, physical, and chemical aspects. As such, the coefficients of friction are
not intrinsic properties of materials. Rather, they depend on the properties
of the contact surfaces, their operational conditions, their time history,
environmental conditions, and even their interactions.

Friction Dynamics
ISBN 978-0-08-100285-8 © 2016 Elsevier Ltd.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-100285-8.00001-8 All rights reserved. 1
2 Friction Dynamics

Tribology and dynamics used to be two distinct fields. However, with

the recent rapid developments in the related area of friction dynamics,
especially in the application of varied engineering disciplines, engineers are
turning to combining tribology and dynamics for efficient methods to
handle and analyze the vast amounts of practical cases.
This book, Friction Dynamics, offers a combined treatment of modeling,
analyzing, and testing of many problems that application engineers and
scientists are trying to solve. After delineating these mathematical charac-
terizations, it presents several applications currently in use for analyzing
friction dynamics. The emphasis of the text is on the fundamental aspects
and the contemporary knowledge in the area of friction dynamics.

1.2 SIGNIFICANCES AND CHALLENGES OF STUDIES

ON FRICTION DYNAMICS
Friction dynamics exists in numerous engineering systems, including brake
squealing of automobiles and motorcycles, chattering of machine tools,
rubbing impact in rotor systems, and friction whirl of drilling systems, just
to name a few. These examples of friction dynamics cover numerous
phenomena in science and engineering. Even in the interior of a car, from
time to time we may perceive clutch shuddering, wiper squealing, belt
drive chirping, instrument panel squeaking, tire road friction noise, and
other phenomena. This book considers friction dynamics in its broader
meaning, but with a concentration on the fundamentals and engineering
applications.
To give some examples of the problems treated in the book, let’s
consider the immense effort that is being put into dealing with friction
dynamics in the mechanical and automotive industries. The need for
rotatory systems is tremendously great and continues to increase. There is a
variety of mechanical systems with varying rotor systems, from washing
machines to airplane engines. In these contexts, interface friction and
contact-induced friction dynamics and instability have been the most
challenging and critical problems faced by the product designers.
Our lives are highly dependent on vehicles of various types. Most ve-
hicles, like automobiles, motorcycles, trains, and aircraft, use some kind of
brake system for stopping. In these brake systems, friction is a principal
functional/safety performance factor and is also a potential cause of unde-
sirable noise and vibration. The structures and principles of the varied brake
systems in vehicles are analogous and similar, but noise has been an
 Introduction 3

unsolved problem for the last half-century. Friction dynamics affects the
reliability and quality of brake systems in many ways. For instance, brake
squealing, a complex vibration, has been the most challenging issue in
automotive brake systems, as it has been equal to the quality of products
perceived by customers. It has been estimated that the warranty work of
noise and vibration of automotive brake systems costs approximately $1
billion a year in the Detroit area alone. Even in aircraft braking systems,
friction dynamics has been a critical issue. Friction-induced torque oscil-
lations can lead to excessive high loads in the landing gear and brake
structures, and this results in passenger discomfort, component failure, or
both, and thereby warranty claims.
Understanding the nature of friction dynamics and solving the techno-
logical problems associated with it are the essence of these fields. Modeling
of friction dynamics in mechanical and other systems requires an accurate
definition and description of friction. Unfortunately, there is no universally
accepted friction model or theory to cover general friction phenomena due
to the reasons that have already been mentioned. On the other hand, the
resultant dynamics often exhibit various nonlinear, transient/nonstationary,
stochastic and uncertain properties [5e17]. Moreover, small changes in
interfacial parameters could have significant effects on the resultant dy-
namics, and thus the scales of influencing factor range from the macrometer,
micrometer, and nanometer levels. The boundary conditions of the prob-
lems are not fixed; rather, they depend on environmental conditions,
operation conditions, system interactions, and time. Because of the
complexity of friction dynamics, it has been considered to be an unsolved
problem in many engineering applications. Since the modeling and the
predictions are not very reliable, the trial-and-error approach has been
extensively used.
Recent extensive efforts on modeling, analytical, and experimental in-
vestigations have made much substantial progress in many practical appli-
cations. Many techniques, such as advanced testing, advanced signal
processing, and spectrum analysis and contemporary nonlinear stochastic
dynamics techniques have been used as efficient means to address the
nonlinear, nonstationary, stochastic and uncertain dynamics; it enables fric-
tion dynamics to be quantified efficiently. The emergence and application of
scanning tunneling microscopy and atomic force microscopy have allowed
for systematic investigation of interfacial problems with high resolution,
which have led to the development of the insight of friction at the micro-,
nano-, molecular-, and even atomic-scale levels. There are several purposes
4 Friction Dynamics

of research in the area of friction dynamics, such as to develop a fundamental

understanding of friction dynamics, to control the motion of dynamical
systems with friction, to realize some physical processes for products, and to
reduce and eliminate instability in engineering systems caused by friction.

1.3 ORGANIZATION OF THE BOOK

The book has two purposes. The first is to give a general introduction to
the theory of friction and dynamics by offering a physical view of the
fundamental theory. The second is to give examples of the applications of
these theoretical approaches. The author will provide contemporary
coverage of the primary concepts and techniques in the treatment of fric-
tion dynamics.
There are six chapters. The basic principles of vibrations and friction are
discussed in the first three chapters. This chapter gives a brief introduction to
the whole book. Chapter 2 provides a comprehensive analysis of vibrations
and advanced dynamics. The vibration segment of this chapter covers vi-
brations of linear systems, random excited systems, and nonlinear systems,
and discusses most of the major areas and applications, including the Duffing
equation, Van der Pol equation, and Mathieu equation. The advanced
dynamics portion presents rigid body dynamics including Euler equation.
Chapter 3 describes contact and friction principles. Chapter 4 presents
the friction dynamics of vehicle brake systems, covering various vibrations
and instability issues of brake systems and numerical and analysis ap-
proaches. Chapter 5 presents the friction dynamics of oil-well drill-strings
and sucker rods. Finally, Chapter 6 presents the friction dynamics of
rotor systems.
Reference sections in the book provide a comprehensive perspective on
developments in friction dynamics, as well as various applications. For di-
dactic reasons, the text flow is not interrupted by the inclusion of refer-
ences. However, at the end of each chapter, the relevant literatures
published are cited.

REFERENCES
[1] Armstrong-Helouvry, B., Dupont, P., Canudas De Wit, C., 1994. A survey of models,
analysis tools, and compensation methods for the control of machines with friction.
Automatica 30 (7), 1083e1138.
[2] Berger, E.J., 2002. Friction modeling for dynamic system simulation. Appl. Mech.
Rev. 55 (6), 535e576.
 Introduction 5

[3] Bhushan, B., 1999. Principles and Applications of Tribology. John Wiley & Sons,
New York.
[4] Chen, G., 2014. Handbook of Friction-Vibration Interactions. Elsevier.
[5] Chen, G., Sheng, G., 2012. Vehicle Noise, Vibrations, and Sound Quality. SAE In-
ternational, Warrendale, PA.
[6] Choy, F.K., Padovan, J., 1987. Non-linear transient analysis of rotor-casing rub event.
J. Sound Vib. 13 (3), 529e545.
[7] Guran, A., Pfeiffer, F., Popp, K., 1996. Dynamics with Friction. World Scientific
Publishing, New Jersey.
[8] Ibrahim, R.A., 1994. Friction-induced vibration, chatter, squeal, and chaos. Part 1:
Mechanics of contact and friction. Appl. Mech. Rev. 47 (7), 209e226.
[9] Ibrahim, R.A., 1994. Friction-induced vibration, chatter, squeal, and chaos. Part 2:
Dynamics and modeling. Appl. Mech. Rev. 47 (7), 227e253.
[10] Liu, X.D., Li, Q.H., 1998. Impact-rub fault characteristics and holospectrum analysis of
rotating machinery with imbalance. J. Aerosp. Power 13 (4), 428e430.
[11] Liu, X.D., Li, Q.H., 1998. Impact-rub model and chaotic feature of partial rub of
eccentric rotor. J. Aerosp. Power 13 (4), 361e365.
[12] Nayfeh, A.H., Mook, D.T., 1979. Nonlinear Oscillations. Wiley, New York.
[13] Oden, J.T., Martins, J.A.C., 1985. Models and computational methods for dynamic
friction phenomena. Comp. Meth. Appl. Mech. Eng 52 (1e3), 527e634.
[14] Sheng, G., Wang, Q., 2000. Brake NVH Technology, AMC report, 2002e82.
[15] Sheng, G., Liu, B., Zhu, Y.L., 1998. Vibrations in contact magnetic recording systems.
In: Bhushan, B., Ono, K. (Eds.), Advances in Information Storage System. World
Scientific Publishing, New Jersey.
[16] Shi, H.M., Sheng, G., Wu, Y., 1991. Mechanical Vibration System: Analysis, Mea-
surement, Modeling, and Control. HUST Press, Wuhan, China.
[17] Stewart, D.E., 2000. Rigid-body dynamics with friction and impact. Siam Rev. 42 (1),
3e39.