Analysing the effects of sliding, adhesive contact on the deformation and stresses induced within a multi-layered elastic solid

Abstract

Chong, WWF and Chidlow, SJAnalysing the effects of sliding, adhesive contact on the deformation and stresses induced within a multi-layered elastic solid http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/7045/ Article LJMU has developed LJMU Research Online for users to access the research output of the University more effectively. Copyright © and Moral Rights for the papers on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. Users may download and/or print one copy of any article(s) in LJMU Research Online to facilitate their private study or for non-commercial research. You may not engage in further distribution of the material or use it for any profit-making activities or any commercial gain.The version presented here may differ from the published version or from the version of the record. Please see the repository URL above for details on accessing the published version and note that access may require a subscription. AbstractThis paper presents a mathematical model of sliding, adhering contact between a rigid parabolic indenter and a multi-layered elastic solid, which is assumed to comprise of a homogeneous coating bonded through a functionallygraded transitional layer to a homogeneous substrate. The adhesive forces in this investigation are modelled using Lennard-Jones potential and an iterative algorithm is proposed that solves for the contact pressure, surface displacement and sub-surface stresses resultant within the layered solid. The effects of surface adhesion and different material properties such as varying coating/transition layer thickness and coating hardness on the solution of the contact problem are subsequently investigated in detail. The numerical approach presented in this paper demonstrates the significance of having a suitable mathematical representation for the traction distribution along the sliding, adhering contact. It is found that under weakly adhering conditions, the assumption of only Coulombic traction suffices to determine the displacements and subsurface stresses within the multi-layered solid. However, it is noted that stress concentrations within the material begin to propagate through all three layers of the elastic solid with increased surface adhesion, which could potentially induce plasticity and lead to material ploughing under sliding. The proposed model allows us to further investigate and improve our understanding of the combined effects of traction and boundary adhesion in sliding contacts, which can be used to inform the design of materials needed in such conditions.