A novel penalty contact constitution was developed to replicate the hysteresis memory effect observed in contact interfaces. On this basis, a refined finite element analysis (FEA) was performed to study the stick–slip friction contact behavior of bolted joint interfaces. The analysis was validated by comparing it with the experimental hysteresis loops in the literature. The simulated hysteresis loops were subsequently used to identify four parameters of the Iwan model. Additionally, the effects of bolt clamping, friction coefficient, and excitation amplitude were individually examined. It was found that the deterioration in bolt clamping performance resulted in a decrease in both the equivalent joint stiffness and energy dissipation. Similarly, the reduction in the friction coefficient yielded a comparable impact. Furthermore, the identified model parameters of critical stick–slip force and displacement exhibited a quasi-linear relationship to the bolt preload and friction coefficient.

Dynamic control of friction is fundamental to achieving adaptive locomotion in robotic systems. Inspired by biological seta-like structures, we present a symmetrical arch-shaped robot capable of bidirectional tangential motion driven by normal vibrational excitation. By exploiting the interplay between structural self-deformation, friction forces, and vibrational excitation (frequency and amplitude), we demonstrate how directional motion emerges from friction asymmetry between the robot's two feet. A theoretical model is developed, and numerical experiments are performed to investigate the impact of friction coefficient, normal excitation frequency, and amplitude on tangential movement. The results indicate that the friction forces may display periodic patterns and result in bidirectional motion at varying excitation frequencies and amplitudes. This work establishes a framework for friction-driven robots, offering insights into bioinspired strategies for tunable tribological control with potential applications in adaptive systems.