Analysis of Contact Mechanics for a Circular Filamentary Brush/Workpart System

Abstract

This paper addresses the contact problem associated with the filament/workpart interaction that arises during brushing processes. A discretized model of a filament within the brushing tool is developed by employing Lagrange’s equations in conjunction with special constraint equations that are appropriate for the impact and impending large displacement of a flexible fiber whose tip traverses a flat, rigid surface. This formulation leads to the identification of five nondimensional parameters which fully characterize the filament/workpart contact problem. A damping mechanism is also included which can be used for modeling complex filament interactions that arise during the actual brushing operation. Special consideration is given to examining the initial filament/workpart impact and the subsequent forces that are generated along the contact region. Initial velocity of the filament is determined by employing an inelastic impact mechanics analysis. Time-varying transient response of the filament is then obtained by employing a predictor-corrector technique in conjunction with a finite difference method. Overall brush force is computed by a superposition of filament contact forces exerted onto the workpart surface. Numerical results are reported and compared with experimentally obtained data for an actual brush/workpart system.