The speed of an inclined ruck

Abstract

Steady rucks in an elastic beam can roll at constant speed down an inclined plane. We examine the dynamics of these travelling-wave structures and argue that their speed can be dictated by a combination of the physical conditions arising in the vicinity of the 'contact points' where the beam is peeled off the underlying plane and stuck back down. We provide three detailed models for the contact dynamics: viscoelastic fracture, a thermodynamic model for bond formation and detachment and adhesion mediated by a thin liquid film. The results are compared with experiments.