Boundary Element Method for Tangential Contact of a Coated Elastic Half-Space

Abstract

We present a formulation of the boundary element method (BEM) for simulating the tangential contact with an elastic half-space coated with an elastic layer with different elastic properties. We use the fast Fourier-transform-based formulation of BEM, while the fundamental solution is determined directly in the Fourier space. Numerical tests are validated by comparison with available asymptotic analytical solutions for a very thin and a very thick layer, as well as with FEM calculations for layers with finite thickness.

Keywords

• boundary element method
• tangential contact
• coatings
• contact mechanics
• coated surface