A Finite Element Approach by Contact Transformation for the Prediction of Structural Wear

Abstract

Understanding of the wear behaviors between mechanical components is a significant task in engineering design. Finite element (FE) simulation may offer valuable wear information. However, longer computational time, poor data precision, and possible divergence of results are unavoidable in repetitive procedures, especially for large FE structures. To address these issues, the current method proposes a hypothesis that the strain energy is completely transferred through the contact regions of components; further that only variables on the contact surface are involved in the solution procedure. Our qualitative comparison demonstrates that the formulations in the current study are valid, offering significant implications for further application.