Experimental study of stick-slip dynamics in a friction wedge damper

Investigations are performed on a friction wedge damper model with the objective of studying stick-slip phenomena at various excitation frequencies. Model design considerations include maintaining dry friction sliding-contact and near-vertical motion. Time traces, phase portraits and frequency spectra are presented for the relative displacement and velocity. Stick-slip phenomena, found to be characterized by harmonic distortions, appear consistently in the vicinity of 30 Hz and less so at higher frequencies. There appears to be a transition from stick-slip to pure-slip motion between 30 and 40 Hz. This transition is characterized by a sharp increase in peak-to-peak response. Two types of stick-slip phenomena, distinguishable by the direction of relative velocity before and after stick, are observed.