Many of us have heard the strange sound made by car brakes or witnessed the bizarre movement of objects during earthquakes or landslides. All these situations take place due to the “slip-stick” phenomenon. But, interestingly enough, does this phenomenon have any practical applications in our daily lives?
What is Slip-stick Phenomenon?
Before moving ahead, let’s understand the slip-stick phenomenon. Any object that has a rough surface has to go through frictional forces when it makes a contact with other surfaces as it moves. The frictional forces have an interesting property – they are not constant. The amount of frictional force increases initially and then goes back to a smaller value before increasing again. This pattern of force generation and releasing is cyclical in nature and is called the slip-stick phenomenon.
What are the applications of slip-stick phenomenon?
Though the slip-stick phenomenon is often considered as an annoying and unwanted effect, there are a few practical applications that are based on this phenomenon. We will discuss some of them below.
Dynamic Friction
Dynamic friction is an application that uses the slip-stick phenomenon. Dynamic friction is used in many industrial and manufacturing operations. For example, the drilling of oil wells involves the use of drill pipes. The whole drilling process is done by applying a specific amount of force to the drill pipe. During the drilling operation, the drill pipe will encounter a large number of different types of rock layers, and each of those layers will have different properties. The surface of the drill pipe will have a rough texture that can create a high amount of friction. The slip-stick phenomenon is used to overcome these frictional forces, which makes the drill bit effective and more efficient while drilling.
Frictional force spectroscopy in the stick slip mode
Frictional force spectroscopy is another application that requires the slip-stick phenomenon. An atomic force microscope (AFM) is used to move it laterally across the surface. The movement is done so slowly that the cantilever sticks and slips on the surface. From these types of measurements, the dissipated energy can be determined.
Conclusion:
As we have seen, there are practical applications of the slip-stick phenomenon. These applications include drilling, frictional force spectroscopy, and various other industrial processes.
If you require further information about the AFM instrument and frictional force spectroscopy, you can refer to the wikipedia article on AFM or the article titled “Frictional Force Mapping.” The AFM article can be found at this url: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_force_microscope and the Frictional Force Mapping article at this url: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_force_microscopy#Frictional_force_mapping
Does the Slip-stick Phenomenon Have Any Application?
Many of us have heard the strange sound made by car brakes or witnessed the bizarre movement of objects during earthquakes or landslides. All these situations take place due to the “slip-stick” phenomenon. But, interestingly enough, does this phenomenon have any practical applications in our daily lives?
What is Slip-stick Phenomenon?
Before moving ahead, let’s understand the slip-stick phenomenon. Any object that has a rough surface has to go through frictional forces when it makes a contact with other surfaces as it moves. The frictional forces have an interesting property – they are not constant. The amount of frictional force increases initially and then goes back to a smaller value before increasing again. This pattern of force generation and releasing is cyclical in nature and is called the slip-stick phenomenon.
What are the applications of slip-stick phenomenon?
Though the slip-stick phenomenon is often considered as an annoying and unwanted effect, there are a few practical applications that are based on this phenomenon. We will discuss some of them below.
Dynamic Friction
Dynamic friction is an application that uses the slip-stick phenomenon. Dynamic friction is used in many industrial and manufacturing operations. For example, the drilling of oil wells involves the use of drill pipes. The whole drilling process is done by applying a specific amount of force to the drill pipe. During the drilling operation, the drill pipe will encounter a large number of different types of rock layers, and each of those layers will have different properties. The surface of the drill pipe will have a rough texture that can create a high amount of friction. The slip-stick phenomenon is used to overcome these frictional forces, which makes the drill bit effective and more efficient while drilling.
Frictional force spectroscopy in the stick slip mode
Frictional force spectroscopy is another application that requires the slip-stick phenomenon. An atomic force microscope (AFM) is used to move it laterally across the surface. The movement is done so slowly that the cantilever sticks and slips on the surface. From these types of measurements, the dissipated energy can be determined.
Conclusion:
As we have seen, there are practical applications of the slip-stick phenomenon. These applications include drilling, frictional force spectroscopy, and various other industrial processes.
If you require further information about the AFM instrument and frictional force spectroscopy, you can refer to the wikipedia article on AFM or the article titled “Frictional Force Mapping.” The AFM article can be found at this url: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_force_microscope and the Frictional Force Mapping article at this url: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_force_microscopy#Frictional_force_mapping