Non-linear control of friction-induced self-excited vibration

The present paper introduces a new method of controlling friction-driven self-excited vibration. The control law is primarily derived using the Lyapunov's second method. A single degree-of-freedom oscillator on a moving belt represents the primary model of the system. The control action is achieved by modulating the normal load at the frictional interface based on the state of the oscillatory system. The basic mechanism of the control action utilises subcritical Hopf bifurcation of the equilibrium followed by cyclic-fold bifurcation (of limit cycle oscillations) to globally stabilise the equilibrium. The basic mechanism is qualitatively independent of the exact model of friction. Different models of friction, like, algebraic model, LuGre model and switch model with time-dependent static friction are considered to substantiate the above claim. An approximate method for estimating the critical value of the control parameter that ensures global stability of the equilibrium is also proposed.