Friction in tribological systems often causes vibrations. The question to be answered by this exploratory study is whether it is feasible to turn this process around - to affect and control friction in a mechanical system by introducing vibrational energy into the system, in parallel with the friction forces. Potential applications include methods for keeping idle bearings from freezing up, very low friction bearings and slides, very high friction brakes, and improved feasiblity of processing difficult materials. Two main frequency regimes will be tested-the characteristic vibrational frequency of the test system itself and the characteristic frequency of the friction forces in the contact zone. Care will be taken to eliminate any extrinsic vibrations. If the results of this initial experimental study are encouraging additional theoretical and experimental work will be planned.
