Bifurcation Beyond Surface-Tangential Asymptotic Convergence in Continuous Sliding Mode Control

Abstract: For second-order systems under continuous sliding mode control (SMC), the literature has long relied, largely through phase-portrait illustrations, on the implicit convention that the phase-plane trajectory approaches the equilibrium along a direction tangential to the designed sliding surface. This paper investigates this tangential convergence assumption through a rigorous phase-plane analysis of the double-integrator system subject to standard linear SMC. We reveal that the asymptotic state ratio is not unique but instead exhibits a bifurcation that depends on the control gains, the sliding surface parameter, and the initial conditions. The key finding is that the system may converge along an implicit secondary manifold rather than aligning with the designed sliding surface, implying that smooth entry is not globally guaranteed. We derive closed-form expressions for the convergence ratios and establish a classification framework that precisely characterizes when the smooth-entry assumption holds and when it fails. The analysis is further extended to classical PD control, and we show that the bifurcation threshold coincides with the critical damping boundary that separates the two convergence regimes. These findings bridge terminal geometry and convergence smoothness, providing a predictive framework for high-performance motion control design. Simulation results validate the proposed classification of convergence regimes.