Effect of Inertia and Elasticity on Stick-Slip Motion

A hybrid simulation method is used to study the transition from stick-slip motion to steady sliding as the sliding velocity increases above a critical value v_c. The effects of the geometry, elasticity, and mass M of the sliding object are varied to test competing theories. When the slider has a tapered geometry, v_c scales as M^-1/2, and the elasticity of the slider is irrelevant. When the slider has a constant columnar cross section, elasticity dominates, and v_c is independent of mass as M→∞. The tapered geometry is more typical of existing measurements, but the columnar geometry could be realized using a nanotube.