On periodic modes of body motion along a horizontal rough plane, performed by moving two internal masses

We consider a mechanical system consisting of a rigid body and two masses that move inside the body along mutually perpendicular guides. The body has a flat face, which rests on a horizontal rough plane. The masses move inside the body in a vertical plane according to a harmonic law with the same period. It is assumed that the friction forces arising in the area of contact between the body and the supporting plane are described by the classical model of dry Coulomb friction, and the parameters of the problem are chosen so that the body can perform translationally rectilinearly motion. This mechanical system can serve as the simplest model of a capsule robot moving on a solid surface by moving internal elements.
We study the modes of motion of a body in which its velocity is periodic with a period equal to the period of motion of the internal masses. It is shown that if the body can starts to move from a state of rest by means of displacements of the masses, then for any permissible values of the problem parameters there is a periodic mode of motion. Depending on the parameter values, the nature of the periodic motion can be essentially different. In particular, both reversible and nonreversible driving modes are possible. In the non-reversion mode, the body moves in the same direction, and intervals of movement alternate with intervals of rest (body sticking). In the reversal mode, the body moves in both positive and negative directions over a time interval equal to one period. In this case, the body makes two stops during the period of movement. After stopping, the body either immediately continues moving in the opposite direction, or enters a sticking zone and rests for a finite period of time, and then stats moving in the opposite direction. It was also found that, at certain parameter values, a periodic reversal mode is possible, in which the body moves without sticking. A detailed classification of all possible types of periodic motion modes was carried out. Their complete qualitative description is given and the regions of their existence in the three-dimensional space of the parameters are constructed.