Further insights into the damping-induced self-recovery phenomenon

Abstract: In a series of papers, D. E. Chang, et al., proved and experimentally demonstrated a phenomenon they termed "damping-induced self-recovery". However, these papers left a few questions concerning the observed phenomenon unanswered - in particular, the effect of the intervening lubricant-fluid and its viscosity on the recovery, the abrupt change in behaviour with the introduction of damping, a description of the energy dynamics, and the curious occurrence of overshoots and oscillations and its dependence on the control law. In this paper we attempt to answer these questions through theory. In particular, we derive an expression for the infinite-dimensional fluid-stool-wheel system, that approximates its dynamics to that of the better understood finite-dimensional case.