Boundary Conditions in a Two-Body Contact Formed by a Rectangular Polyurethane Slab Pressed Against an Araldite Plane

Abstract

The variation of contact stress distribution of a rectangular slab loaded against a flat during a tangential load cycle is monitored using photoelastic techniques. Results show that different stress distributions can be found at contact for identical external loads, and that these nonunique distributions are governed by the response of the entire slab to the external loading history and not only by surface reactions.