Asymptotic Stress Fields for Complete Contact Between Dissimilar Materials

Abstract

We investigate the influence of material dissimilarity on the traction fields at the corners of a contact between an elastic right-angle wedge and an elastic half-plane. The local asymptotic fields are characterized in terms of the properties of the leading eigenvalue for cases of slip and stick as a function of the Dundurs bimaterial parameters α and β, and the coefficient of friction f. Permissible values of α and β are partitioned into two possible ranges, one where behavior is qualitatively similar to the case where the indenting wedge is rigid [α = 1] and the other where behavior is similar to the case where the materials are the same [α = β = 0]. The results give insight into the high local stresses at the edge of a contact between elastically dissimilar bodies and can also be used to evaluate the effectiveness of mesh refinement in corresponding finite element models.