Friction Reduction in the Sliding of an Elastic Half-Space Against a Rigid Surface Due to Incident Rectangular Dilatational Waves

The steady sliding of a flat homogeneous and isotropic elastic half-space against a flat rigid surface, under the influence of incident plane dilatational waves, is investigated. The interfacial coefficient of friction is constant with no distinction between static and kinetic friction. It is shown here that the reflection of a harmonic wave under steady sliding consists of a pair of body waves (a plane dilatational wave and a plane shear wave) radiated from the sliding interface. Each wave propagates at a different angle such that the trace velocities along the interface are equal and supersonic. The angles of wave propagation are determined by the angle of the incident wave, by the Poisson’s ratio, and by the coefficient of friction. The amplitude of the incident waves is subject only to the restriction that the perturbations in interface contact pressure and tangential velocity satisfy the inequality constraints for unilateral sliding contact. It is also found that an incident rectangular wave can allow for relative sliding motion of the two bodies with a ratio of remote shear to normal stress which is less than the coefficient of friction. Thus the apparent coefficient of friction is less than the interface coefficient of friction. This reduction in friction is due to periodic stick zones which propagate supersonically along the interface. The influences of the angle, amplitude, and shape of the incident rectangular wave, the interfacial friction coefficient, the sliding speed, and of the remotely applied normal stress, on friction reduction are determined. Under appropriate conditions, the bodies can move tangentially with respect to each other in the absence of an applied shear stress. [S0742-4787(00)00201-0]