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Related Concept Videos

Frictional Force01:07

Frictional Force

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When a body is in motion, it encounters resistance because the body interacts with its surroundings. This resistance is known as friction, a common yet complex force whose behavior is still not completely understood. Friction opposes relative motion between systems in contact, but also allows us to move. Friction arises in part due to the roughness of surfaces in contact. For one object to move along a surface, it must rise to where the peaks of the surface can skip along the bottom of the...
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Kinetic Friction01:26

Kinetic Friction

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Consider a truck trying to pull a stationary car. As the truck exerts a force on the car, static friction is created at the point of contact between the two surfaces. This frictional force resists the car's movement and keeps it at rest. However, when the applied force by the truck surpasses the limiting static frictional force, an interesting phenomenon occurs. The frictional force at the interface reduces to a lower value, known as the kinetic frictional force. At this point, the car...
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Static and Kinetic Frictional Force01:05

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One of the simpler characteristics of sliding friction is that it is parallel to the contact surfaces between systems, and is always in a direction that opposes the motion or attempted motion of the systems relative to each other. If two systems are in contact and moving relative to one another, then the friction between them is called kinetic friction. For example, kinetic friction slows a hockey puck sliding on ice.
However, if two systems are in contact and are stationary relative to one...
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Characteristics of Dry Friction01:21

Characteristics of Dry Friction

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Dry friction occurs when two solid surfaces slide against each other without any lubrication or fluid present. It causes resistance when pushing objects along a surface, like a gardener pushing a wheelbarrow. The force applied to move the cart causes dry friction between the wheel and the ground.
Before the wheelbarrow starts moving, the static frictional force acts tangentially to the contact surface, opposing the force that is about to induce the motion. This frictional force prevents the...
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Static Friction01:18

Static Friction

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Static friction is a force that opposes the relative motion or tendency of motion between two surfaces in contact. It plays a crucial role in our daily lives, from walking on the ground to driving a car.
For example, consider a scenario where a truck is connected to a car by a rope, ready to tow it along a road. When no external force is applied by the truck, the car remains stationary and is said to be in static equilibrium. In this case, the forces acting on the car, such as gravity and the...
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Dry Friction01:30

Dry Friction

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Dry friction occurs between two solid surfaces in contact as they attempt to move relative to one another. In daily life, dry friction is encountered in various forms, such as when walking on the ground, sliding an object across a table, or rubbing hands together. Despite its ubiquity, the underlying mechanisms behind dry friction are not readily visible.
To illustrate this concept, imagine a wooden crate resting on a rough, non-uniform horizontal surface. When an external force is applied to...
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Characterization of Thermal Transport in One-dimensional Solid Materials
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Does the direct effect of friction increase continuously with absolute temperature?

Sylvain Barbot1

  • 1Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0740.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|October 10, 2024
PubMed
Summary

The direct effect of fault friction is largely temperature-independent, contrary to classical models. Distinct deformation mechanisms, not temperature, drive changes in friction during rock failure.

Keywords:
fault mechanicsfriction

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Area of Science:

  • Geophysics
  • Rock Mechanics
  • Seismology

Background:

  • Constitutive models of fault friction are crucial for physics-based seismic simulations.
  • The widely adopted framework assumes a thermally activated process governed by an Arrhenius law, predicting temperature-dependent friction.
  • This classical view suggests the direct effect of friction increases with absolute temperature.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To experimentally test the temperature dependence of the direct effect in fault friction.
  • To investigate the relationship between friction, temperature, and deformation mechanisms in rocks.
  • To challenge the classical Arrhenius law-based model for fault friction.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of comprehensive laboratory data under diverse hydrothermal, barometric, and lithological conditions.
  • Examination of fault friction behavior across varying temperatures and pressures.
  • Identification of distinct deformation mechanisms associated with brittle and semi-brittle transitions.

Main Results:

  • The direct effect of friction for a given deformation mechanism is largely temperature-independent.
  • Incremental shifts in the direct effect correlate with the brittle to semi-brittle transition.
  • Distinct deformation mechanisms operate across this transition, influencing frictional behavior.

Conclusions:

  • The classical model of thermally activated friction (Arrhenius law) is challenged by experimental evidence.
  • Fault friction is primarily governed by the operating deformation mechanisms rather than absolute temperature.
  • Realistic constitutive laws for lithospheric rock failure must integrate multiple deformation mechanisms active in fault zones.