Brittle Fracture Theory Predicts the Equation of Motion of Frictional Rupture Fronts

We study rupture fronts propagating along the interface separating two bodies at the onset of frictional motion via high-temporal-resolution measurements of the real contact area and strain fields. The strain measurements provide the energy flux and dissipation at the rupture tips. We show that the classical equation of motion for brittle shear cracks, derived by balancing these quantities, well describes the velocity evolution of frictional ruptures. Our results demonstrate the extensive applicability of the dynamic brittle fracture theory to friction.