Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 18, 2026

Manufacturing, Control, and Performance Evaluation of a Gecko-Inspired Soft Robot
Published on: June 10, 2020
The speed of an inclined ruck
N J Balmforth1, R V Craster2, I J Hewitt3
1Department of Mathematics , University of British Columbia , 1984 Mathematics Road, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z2.
Abstract:
Steady rucks in an elastic beam can roll at constant speed down an inclined plane. We examine the dynamics of these travelling-wave structures and argue that their speed can be dictated by a combination of the physical conditions arising in the vicinity of the 'contact points' where the beam is peeled off the underlying plane and stuck back down. We provide three detailed models for the contact dynamics: viscoelastic fracture, a thermodynamic model for bond formation and detachment and adhesion mediated by a thin liquid film. The results are compared with experiments.
Related Concept Videos
Work Done Over an Inclined Plane
The work done by gravity to move a rigid body, or the work done by an opposing force to move a rigid body against gravity, can be calculated using the center-of-mass framework. It is the line integral of the force of gravity over the path, considered positive if...
Free-body Diagrams: Problem Solving
For example, consider a block with a mass of 10 kg released on an inclined plane at an angle of 30° to the horizontal, where...
Inclination of a Line
Design Example: Designing Water Slide
Bernoulli's principle determines the water's velocity along the slide....
Application of Nonlinear Inequalities
Equation of Motion: General Plane motion - Problem Solving
The friction between the roller and the ground is characterized by two coefficients. The static friction coefficient is 0.15, while the kinetic friction coefficient is 0.1. These values are crucial in understanding the interaction between...

