Creep motion of a model frictional system

TL;DR

This paper investigates the slow, creep-like motion of a model frictional system composed of sliders on an incline, revealing velocity plateaus, a critical amplitude for motion cessation, and a transition between creep regimes.

Contribution

It introduces a novel model of frictional creep driven by cyclic spring variations and provides a theoretical account of the average reptation velocity and regime transitions.

Findings

Reptation velocity exhibits plateaus as a function of incline angle.

A critical amplitude exists below which creep ceases.

Transition observed between continuous and irregular creep regimes.

Abstract

We report on the dynamics of a model frictional system submitted to minute external perturbations. The system consists of a chain of sliders connected through elastic springs that rest on an incline. By introducing cyclic expansions and contractions of the springs we observe a reptation of the chain. We account for the average reptation velocity theoretically. The velocity of small systems exhibits a series of plateaus as a function of the incline angle. Due to elastic e ects, there exists a critical amplitude below which the reptation is expected to cease. However, rather than a full stop of the creep, we observe in numerical simulations a transition between a continuous-creep and an irregular-creep regime when the critical amplitude is approached. The latter transition is reminiscent of the transition between the continuous and the irregular compaction of granular matter submitted to periodic temperature changes.