Onset and propagation of slip at adhesive elastic interfaces

The transition from static to dynamic friction when an elastic body is slid over another is now known to result from the motion of interface rupture fronts. These fronts may be either cracklike or pulselike, with the latter involving reattachment in the wake of the front. How and why these fronts occur remains a subject of active theoretical and experimental investigation, especially given its wide ranging implications. In this work, we investigate the role of boundary loading in answering this question using an elastic lattice-network model under displacement/velocity controlled loading. Bulk elastic and interface bonds are simulated using a network of springs, with a stretch-based detachment and reattachment rule applied to interface bonds. We find that, contrary to commonly used rigid body models with Coulomb-type friction laws, the type of rupture front observed is very closely linked to the location of the applied boundary displacements. Depending on whether the sliding elastic solid is pulled, pushed or sheared-all equivalent in the rigid case-distinct interface rupture modes can occur. We quantify these rupture modes, evaluate the corresponding interface stresses that lead to their formation, and and study their subsequent propagation dynamics. Our results reveal quantitative analogies between the sliding friction problem and mode II fracture, with attendant wave speeds ranging from slow to Rayleigh. We discuss how these fronts mediate interface motion and implications for the general transition mechanism from static to dynamic friction.