Frictional stick-slip dynamics in a nonsinusoidal Remoissenet-Peyrard potential

Frictional stick-slip dynamics is studied theoretically and numerically in a model of one oscillator interacting with a nonsinosoidal subtracted potential. We focus our attention on a class of parameterised one-site Remoisenet-Peyrard potential U<Subscript>RP</Subscript>(X,r), whose shape can be varied as a function of parameter r and which has the sine-Gordon shape as the particular case. The dynamics of the model is carefully studied, both numerically and analytically. Our numerical investigation, which involves bifurcation diagrams, shows a rich spectrum of dynamical behavior including periodic, quasi-periodic and chaotic states. On the other hand, and for a good selection of the parameter systems, the motion of the particle involves periodic stick-slip, erratic and intermittent motions, characterized by force fluctuations, and sliding. This study suggests that the transition between each of motion strongly depends on the shape parameter r. However, the stick-slip phenomena can be observed for all values of the shape parameter r in the range |r|>1. The analytical analysis of the dry friction reveals that the dynamic depends non trivially on the shape parameter r, which shows the importance of deformable substrate potential in the description of real physical systems. Copyright EDP Sciences/Società Italiana di Fisica/Springer-Verlag 2007