There have been many attempts to derive continuum models for dense granular flow, but a general theory is still lacking. Here, we start with Mohr-Coulomb plasticity for quasi-two-dimensional granular materials to calculate (average) stresses and slip planes, but we propose a "stochastic flow rule" (SFR) to replace the principle of coaxiality in classical plasticity. The SFR takes into account t...

Fluid-based locomotion at low Reynolds number is subject to the constraints of the scallop theorem, which dictate that body kinematics identical under a time-reversal symmetry (in particular, those with a single degree of freedom) cannot display locomotion on average. The implications of the theorem naturally compel one to ask whether similar symmetry constraints exist for locomotion in differe...

For two simple setups it is discussed, how dissipative grain-grain interactions give rise to unexpected properties on large scales. In the rst example, a spherical particle rolling along a rough surface experiences an eeective viscous friction on large time scales. It is due to temporal correlations among collisions with incomplete normal restitution. The second example is a sheared granular pa...

Rowe's stress–dilatancy relation for frictional (cohesion-less) materials has been a cornerstone of soil mechanics. The original derivation of this relationship was based on incorrect energy minimisation considerations, but the relationship was proven later by De Josselin de Jong using friction laws, and has been confirmed by a large body of experimental results. In contrast, the validity of Ro...

We propose a mean field (MF) theory for a homogeneously driven granular gas of inelastic particles with Coulomb friction. The model contains three parameters, a normal restitution coefficient rn, a maximum tangential restitution coefficient r m t , and a Coulomb friction coefficient μ. The parameters can be tuned to explore a wide range of physical situations. In particular, the model contains ...

Rigid-body dynamics with unilateral contact is a good approximation for a wide range of everyday phenomena, from the operation of car brakes to walking to rock slides. It is also of vital importance for simulating robots, virtual reality, and realistic animation. However, correctly modeling rigid-body dynamics with friction is difficult due to a number of discontinuities in the behavior of rigi...

The problem of a steady-state slip pulse of (nite size between dissimilar materials is studied. It is shown that for a Coulomb friction law, there is a continuous set of possible solutions for any slip propagation velocity and any slip length. These solutions are, however, nonphysical because they show a singular behaviour of the slip velocity at one extremity of the pulse, which implies a crac...

Granular packings of hard disks are investigated by means of contact dynamics which is an appropriate technique to explore the allowed force realizations in the space of contact forces. Configurations are generated for given friction coefficients, and then an ensemble of equilibrium forces is found for fixed contacts. We study the force fluctuations within this ensemble. In the limit of zero fr...

Friction accounts for more than 60% of the motor torque, and hard nonlinearities due to Coulomb friction and stiction severely degrade control performances as they account for nearly 30% of the industrial robot motor torque. Although many friction compensation methods are available (Armstrong-Helouvry et al., 1994; Lischinsky et al., 1999; Bona & Indri, 2005;), here we only introduce relatively...

Friction is present in all mechanical systems and causes a wide range of problems for control. The development of friction models and methods to account for friction in control has been an active research area for many years. A promising friction model that is capable of describing a wide array of observed friction phenomena is the LuGre model. This thesis deals with the application of friction...