APPLICATION OF THE METHOD OF DIMENSIONALITY REDUCTION TO CONTACTS UNDER NORMAL AND TORSIONAL LOADING

Abstract

Recently the method of dimensionality reduction (MDR) has been introduced to solve axisymmetric contact problems easily and exactly. The list of tasks that this method can deal with comprises normal, tangential, adhesive and rolling contacts with simply connected contact areas between elastic or viscoelastic bodies. Due to its simplicity and easy applicability the MDR provides the possibility of fast and comprehensive studies of contact problems in technological or biological systems, for example bearings, artificial hip joints, wheel-rail systems or others. Within the complicated three-dimensional contact theory those studies, in most cases, cannot be done without a tremendous mathematical or numerical effort.
In view of all this, the torsional contact problems have been disregarded until now, although it is known that torsion is a major reason of wear and possible failure of system components. Therefore, in the present paper, we extend the MDR to contacts of axisymmetric profiles under superimposed normal and torsional loading.