On the Approach to Steady State for Frictional Contact Under Moving Loads

Abstract

There is a class of problems involving frictional contact for which a steady state of slip is possible under moving loads as, for instance, when a tire is press-fitted on a wheel, and loaded by forces that travel along its circumference and induce localized slip between the tire and the wheel. The steady state slip has been investigated before, but no estimates showing how quickly the steady state is approached are available. The present paper considers for this purpose a problem that can largely be reduced analytically. It involves two half spaces that are pressed together and sheared. The contact interface is locally pried apart by concentrated normal tractions which, after application, start to move. The moving normal forces induce localized separation and slip zones that travel along the interface. The analysis based on integral equations shows that the approach to steady state is relatively slow.