Disturbance at a Frictional Interface Caused by a Plane Elastic Pulse

Abstract

We consider a plane pulse striking the frictional interface between two elastic solids which are held together by compressive applied tractions and sheared. The pulse causes a disturbance involving separation or slip between the bodies, which propagates along the interface at supersonic speed. The extent of these zones is determined using a convenient graphical representation and the interface tractions are given in closed form. It is found that the results change qualitatively when the coefficient of friction exceeds a critical value.