Affine Connection Approach to the Realization of Nonholonomic Constraints by Strong Friction Forces

Abstract: In this paper, we study an affine connection approach to realizing nonholonomic mechanical systems mediated by viscous friction forces with large coefficients, viewed as a singular perturbation of the nonholonomic system. We show that the associated slow manifold is represented coordinate-free as the image of a section over the nonholonomic distribution. We propose a novel invariance condition based on covariant derivatives and prove that this condition is equivalent to the classical invariance condition based on time derivatives. Accordingly, we propose a novel recursive procedure to approximate the slow manifold based on the covariant derivatives of a formal power series expansion of the section. Using this recurrence relation, we derive, up to second order, approximations of the slip velocities residing in the slow manifold, as well as the associated approximated dynamics up to first order. Lastly, we illustrate our approach with a case study of a vertical rolling disk.