Numerical and experimental analysis of the bi-stable state for frictional continuous system

Unstable friction-induced vibrations are considered an annoying problem in several fields of engineering. Although several theoretical analyses have suggested that friction-excited dynamical systems may experience sub-critical bifurcations, and show multiple coexisting stable solutions, these phenomena need to be proved experimentally and on continuous systems. The present work aims to partially fill this gap. The dynamical response of a continuous system subjected to frictional excitation is investigated. The frictional system is constituted of a 3D printed oscillator, obtained by additive manufacturing that slides against a disc rotating at a prescribed velocity. Both a finite element model and an experimental setup has been developed. It is shown both numerically and experimentally that in a certain range of the imposed sliding velocity the oscillator has two stable states, i.e. steady sliding and stick–slip oscillations. Furthermore, it is possible to jump from one state to the other by introducing an external perturbation. A parametric analysis is also presented, with respect to the main parameters influencing the nonlinear dynamic response, to determine the interval of sliding velocity where the oscillator presents the two stable solutions, i.e. steady sliding and stick–slip limit cycle.