Transition to strictly solitary motion in the Burridge-Knopoff model of multicontact friction

Abstract

We show that, in the continuous 1D Burridge-Knopoff model of multicontact friction, motion occurs via stick-slip sliding on a finite length rather than in avalanches, excluding the occurrence of self-organized criticality. We present strong numerical evidence that a transition from collective to strictly solitary motion occurs at a critical value of the interblock interactions. The solitary motion corresponds to successive stick-slip motion of one block between immobile neighbors, repeated periodically in time. This state persists also with open boundary conditions and moderate temperature.