The dynamics of dissipative mechanical and structural systems is being investigated at various institutions and laboratories worldwide with ever-increasing sophistication of modeling, analysis and experiments. This book offers a collection of contributions from these research centers that represent the state-of-the-art in the study of friction oscillators. It provides the reader with the fruits of a team effort by leaders in this fascinating field.The topics covered include friction modeling, self-excited friction oscillators, homogeneous frictional systems, unsteady lubricated friction, instantaneous contact geometry, impact damping, friction-induced instability and nonlinear dynamics of stick-slip systems, among other topics.This book gives a comprehensive picture of dynamics of dissipative mechanical and structural systems. It also gives an up-to-date account of the present state of the field. It will be of interest to engineers, rheologists, material scientists, applied mathematicians, physicists and historians of science and technology.
