This work examines the dynamic behavior of a system consisting of a mass-block on the rough surface of a simply supported plate, harmonically excited in the tangential direction. The vertical excitation emerges from roughness, tracked by the mass-block. Low-frequency sliding results in high-frequency vertical excitation up to the ultrasonic range. The conditions of the elastic contact between the two bodies are modeled in the form of vertical contact stiffness. A specific friction law with a behavior similar to an elastically coupled coulomb damper represents the tangential direction. The model allows for the study of the interaction between the tangential friction behavior and the vertical roughness-induced vibrations. Parameters of interest are friction velocity, mass-block weight, surface roughness, and contact material. Because of nonlinearities, the theoretical model must be solved within the time domain. The theoretical results are verified through experimental results of a corresponding setup. The subject combines material science, contact mechanics, and structural dynamics.