A Constitutive Law for Finite

Element Contact Problems

With Unclassical Friction
(EASA-TH-88838) A C C N S T I T U T I V E L A W PO3 N87-12924 \
F I N X T E ELEMENT CCNTACTE PRCBLETS L I T H
U N C L A S S I C A L F E I C T I C N (NASA) 19 F CSCL 20K
Unclas
63/39 44728

Michael E. Plesha
Institute for Computational Mechanics in Propulsion
Lewis Research Center
Cleveland, Ohio

and

Bruce M. Steinetz
Lewis Research Center
Cleveland, Ohio

November 1986
 A CONSTITUTIVE LAW FOR FINITE ELEMENT CONTACT PROBLEMS WITH
UNCLASSICAL FRICTION
Michael E . Plesha*
University of Wisconsin
Dept. of Engineering Mechanics
Madison, Wisconsin 53706
and
Bruce M. Steinetz
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Lewis Research Center
Cleveland, Ohio 44135

SUMMARY
This report addresses techniques for modeling complex, unclassical
contact-friction problems arising in solid and structural mechanics. A
constitutive modeling concept is employed whereby analytic relations between
increments of contact surface stress (i.e., traction) and contact surface
deformation (i.e., relative displacement) are developed. Because of the
incremental form of these relations, they are valid for arbitrary load-
deformation histories. The motivation for the development of such a constitu-
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co tive law is that more realistic friction idealizations can be implemented in
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m finite element analysis software in a consistent, straightforward manner. Of
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w particular interest in this report i s modeling of two-body (i.e., unlubricated)
metal-metal, ceramic-ceramic, and metal-ceramic contact. Interfaces involving
ceramics are of engineering importance and are being considered for advanced
turbine engines in which higher temperature materials offer potential for
higher engine fuel efficiency.

1. INTRODUCTION
Material interfaces are common In mechanical systems and often have a
substantial influence on structural response. The behavior of a material
discontinuity is complex and involves frictional sliding, possible contact
surface separation and various types of surface damage. Because of the non-
linearity of such behavior, numerical methods such as the finite element method
(FEM) are popular for the analysis o f problems Involving discontinuities. How-
ever, solution methodologies are still not advanced to the point where contact-
friction capabilities are included i n general purpose FEM programs and in most
analyses, special purpose analysis programs are used.
Because of the difficulty in analyzing contact-friction problems and our
ratner poor quantitative understanding of frictionai phenomena, virtuaiiy ail
of the analyses reported in the literature have employed a very simple and
idealized form of friction law which can be attributed t o Coulomb's original
*Research supported by the NASA Lewis Research Center - Case Western
Reserve University Institute for Computational Mechanics in Propulsion (ICOMP).
work published in 1781. In its "modern" form, this law postulates that the
magnitude of the tangential component of the surface traction, or simply the
tangential stress, will not exceed the product of the normal component of the
traction, or normal stress, and a constant called the coefficient of friction.
For states of tangential stress below the friction limit, various types of
behavior such as stick-impenatrability or penalized deformability are common.
Remarkably, for many problems, Coulomb's law is accurate and is sufficiently
faithful to reality for engineering analysis. In fact, much of the research
in tribology since Coulomb's work has been directed at obtaining a qualitative
understanding of why and under what circumstances this law Is accurate. How-
ever, it has been established by experimentation that true friction behavior
is considerably more complicated than Coulomb's idealization, although for
engineering analyses, it is still an open question when such detail is
warranted.
In this paper, we employ a constitutive modeling concept to develop
analytic relations between increments of contact surface stress (i.e., trac-
tion) and deformation (i.e., relative surface displacement). The development
begins by distinguishing between macrostructural and microstructural features
of a contact surface. Through macrostructural considerations and the assump-
tion that contact surface deformations consist of reversible (elastic) plus
irreversible (plastic) parts, the general form of the constitutive law is
obtained. Microstructural considerations permit the specialization of the
constitutive law for various applications by allowing the inclusion o f special
frictional phenomena such as adhesion, microsliding effects on coefficient of
friction and surface damage. In particular, the behavior of unlubricated
metal-metal, ceramic-ceramic, and metal-ceramic contacts will be discussed.
Because of the simplicity of Coulomb's law, most analysis programs employ
ad hoc implementations of the contact-friction conditions which usually are not
amenable to implementation of more general friction laws. Our objective is the
development of a general, explicit, incremental constitutive law that leads to
straightforward implementation in finite element software. In Section 4 of
this report, a simple finite element and solution procedure for plane contact
problems is discussed.
NOMENCLATURE
A actual contact area
available or macroscopic contact area

BI denotes body number I where I = 1, 2

E interface stiffnesses where i = t, n and j = t, n
4.j
A
e unit vector in coordlnate direction i = t, n
i
F slip function
G slip potential

gi relative discontinuity displacement in coordinate direction 1 = t, n

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H hardening or s o f t e n i n g parameter

L l e n g t h of contact f i n i t e element

NI . f i n i t e element shape f u n c t i o n f o r node I = 1, 2, 3 , 4

n surface index f o r f i n i t e element n = -1 surface 1-2
+1 surface 3-4

P a r b i t r a r y contact p o i n t between two bodies

sgn(at) denotes t h e s i g n o f ut; sgn(ut) = +1 i f ut 2 0

(-1 i f at < 0

t v a r i a b l e denoting t a n g e n t i a l d i s t a n c e along f i n i t e element

U displacement vector o f a p o i n t associated w i t h body B I = 1,2

-I I'
WP p l a s t ic work

a s p e r i t y angle
=K
At time step f o r dynamic analyses

rl exponent used I n f r i c t i o n law given by equation ( 3 . 7 )

A s c a l a r g i v i n g magnitude o f p l a s t i c s l i p

v f r i c t i o n coefficient

E r a t i o o f a c t u a l contact area t o a v a i l a b l e contact area

i n t e r f a c e stress; i = t, n

M a t r i x Symbols

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N
m a t r i x r e l a t i n g r e l a t i v e dlsplacements t o f i n i t e element node
displacements

f
N
vector o f nodal forces

kep
N element m a t r i x i n c l u d i n g n o n l i n e a r i t i e s

Pl, E shape f u n c t i o n matrices

I.1 9L.2 t r a n s f o r m a t i o n matrices

U
N
vector o f nodal displacements

Subscripts

1.5 denotes coordinate d i r e c t i o n t . or n

I denotes body number 61 and B2 o r f i n i t e element node numbers 1

through 4
3
K denotes s l i d i n g d i r e c t i o n t o r i g h t o r t o l e f t

n,t denotes d i r e c t i o n s normal and t a n g e n t i a l , r e s p e c t i v e l y , t o t h e

macroscopic c o n t a c t surfaces

Y used i n equation ( 3 . 8 ) denoting contact y i e l d s t r e s s w i t h a c e r t a i n

amount o f constrained p l a s t i c deformation

u denotes a vector o r m a t r i x

Superscripts

e.P denotes e l a s t i c and p l a s t i c , r e s p e c t i v e l y

3 denotes s t a t e o f s t r e s s and deformation a t i t e r a t i o n j f o r

incremental s t a t i c a n a l y s i s o r time j A t f o r dynamic a n a l y s i s

( e ) denotes the time r a t e o f change

2. CONSTITUTIVE LAW - MACROSTRUCTURAL CONSIDERATIONS

Shown i n f i g u r e 1 i s a macroscopically smooth c o n t a c t surface w i t h l o c a l

t a n g e n t i a l and normal coordinate d i r e c t i o n s t and n, r e s p e c t i v e l y , w i t h
o r i g i n a t p o i n t p- which i s a f f i x e d t o body 81. Any roughness t h a t may
be present on the contact surface i s n o t shown i n f i g u r e 1 and w i l l be consid-
ered as m i c r o s t r u c t u r a l f e a t u r e s which a r e discussed i n Section 3 o f t h i s .
paper. The o n l y requirement t h a t t h e macroscopic c o n t a c t surface must possess
i s t h a t i t be s u f f i c i e n t l y smooth so t h a t t h e surface tangent and normal a r e
not ill-defined.

The kinematic v a r i a b l e s t o be used I n t h e c o n s t i t u t i v e law a r e t h e r e l a -

t i v e surface displacements i n t h e t a n g e n t i a l and normal d i r e c t i o n s which a r e
defined as

where UI i s the displacement o f t h e p o i n t p associated w i t h body I and

f i i s a u n i t vector i n coordinate d i r e c t i o n i = t,n. The stresses ( i n
proper terminology, these a r e t r a c t i o n s , b u t we adopt t h e more conventional
nomenclature o f stresses) t h e i n t e r f a c e supports a t p o i n t p a r e denoted by
u t and t h e convention t h a t compressive stresses a r e n e g a t i v e i s used. Our
o b j e c t i v e i s t h e development o f an e x p l i c i t r e l a t i o n between increments o f
s t r e s s and deformation. Because t h e r e l a t i o n i s incremental, i t i s v a l i d f o r
a r b i t r a r y l o a d and deformation h i s t o r i e s t h a t can i n v o l v e unloading and subse-
quent r e l o a d i n g ( i . e . , changes I n t h e d i r e c t i o n o f f r i c t i o n a l s l i d i n g ) .

A basic assumption i s t h a t t h e deformation can be a d d i t i v e l y decomposed

into

where superscripts e and p denote t h e e l a s t i c (recoverable) and p l a s t i c

( i r r e c o v e r a b l e ) p a r t s o f t h e deformation. There e x i s t s experimental evidence
f o r almost every class o f f r i c t i o n problem t h a t has been c a r e f u l l y s t u d i e d

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supporting t h i s decomposition. Furthermore, i t has t h e added advantage o f
l e a d i n g t o a more convenient numerical implementation compared t o f r i c t i o n
i d e a l i z a t i o n s i n which a " s t i c k " c o n d i t i o n precedes f r i c t i o n a l s l i d i n g .

Because t h e s t r e s s t h a t an i n t e r f a c e supports must be r e v e r s i b l e (i.e.,

stresses must go t o zero upon unloading), i t can be r e l a t e d t o t h e e l a s t i c p a r t
o f equation (2.2) only. The simplest r e l a t i o n p o s s i b l e i s t h e l i n e a r law
e .e
ai=
E ij g j (2.3)

where t h e E4 a r e constant i n t e r f a c e s t i f f n e s s e s , superposed dots denote

i
tlme d i f f e r e n l a t i o n and the summation convention i s a p p l i e d t o repeated
i n d i c e s . Although nonlinear E i j are possible, i t i s n o t known I f such
d e t a i l i s warranted. Based upon physical considerations, i t i s a p p r o p r i a t e t o
take Etn = Ent = 0 so t h a t changes o f s t r e s s i n t h e t a n g e n t i a l and normal
d i r e c t i o n s a r e unrelated t o changes of deformation I n the normal and t a n g e n t i a l
d i r e c t i o n s , r e s p e c t i v e l y . For example, expanding t h e second o f equations (2.3)
gives sn = E n t i t t Ennine I f changes i n t a n g e n t i a l e l a s t i c displacement
a r e n o t t o g i v e r i s e t o changes i n normal stress, then Ent = 0. A s i m i l a r
argument can be made showing Etn = 0.

I t i s necessary t o p o s t u l a t e a r u l e f o r t h e p l a s t i c deformation. By
assuming t h a t

(1) A s l i p p o t e n t i a l ( s c a l a r valued) f u n c t i o n , F, can be defined such t h a t

negative F corresponds t o n o n s l i d i n g s t a t e s o f s t r e s s , zero F corresponds
t o s l i d i n g and p o s i t i v e F i s n o t possible, and

( 2 ) Increments o f s t r e s s a r e l i n e a r l y r e l a t e d t o increments o f
deformation,

i t can be shown (see r e f . 1) t h a t a s l i p r u l e , which i s analogous t o t h e f l o w

r u l e employed i n continuum p l a s t i c i t y , i s t h e a p p r o p r i a t e law f o r t h e p l a s t i c
deformations

/1
0 if F < 0 or i< 0 (unloading)
4; = (2.4)
if F = = 0 (loading)

where. G i s t h e s l i p p o t e n t i a l whose g r a d i e n t gives t h e d i r e c t i o n o f t h e s l i p

and A i s a nonnegative s c a l a r t h a t gives t h e magnitude o f the s l i p . When
F = 6, t h e f r i c t i o n i s Uassociatedu and when F # G t h e f r i c t i o n i s "non-
associated". Only under unusual circumstances i s f r i c t i o n associated.
Unfortunately, the more t y p i c a l case of nonassociated f r i c t i o n r e s u l t s i n a
nonsymnetric tangent m a t e r i a l m a t r l x which poses d i f f i c u l t i e s f o r many computer
s o l u t i o n schemes; methods o f reducing these d i f f i c u l t i e s w i l l be mentioned i n
Secfier! 4 o f t h i s r e p e r t .

Combining equations (2.1) through (2.4) provides t h e general form o f t h e

c o n t a c t - f r i c t i o n c o n s t i t u t i v e law

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 eP
Gi = E i jg j (2.5)

where f o r p u r e l y e l a s t i c response o r unloading (i.e., F c 0 or f < O),

respectively),

and f o r imninent s l i p (i.e., F = I?= 0)

where H i s a hardening o r softening parameter given by

i n which = UI it
i s t h e p l a s t i c work. I f no hardening o r soften-
i n g behavior i s permitted, then H = 0.

Remarks

1. Completion of the c o n s t i t u t i v e law r e q u i r e s t h e s p e c i f i c a t i o n o f the

s l i p f u n c t i o n F and s l i p p o t e n t i a l 6 . These a r e determined by considering
t h e m i c r o s t r u c t u r e of the m a t e r i a l i n t e r f a c e and w i l l be considered i n Section
3 of t h i s r e p o r t .

2. Equation (2.5) i s an e x p l i c i t , incremental r e l a t i o n t h a t i s i n a form

convenient f o r numerical implementation and t h e a n a l y s i s o f problems w i t h
a r b i t r a r y load and deformation h i s t o r i e s .

3 . This c o n s t i t u t i v e law enforces c o m p a t i b i l i t y (i.e, i m p e n e t r a b i l i t y

c o n s t r a i n t preventing c o n t a c t i n g bodies from p e n e t r a t i n g one another) through
t h e use of a "penalty" stress t h a t i s p r o p o r t i o n a l t o the v i o l a t i o n o f compat-
i b i l i t y . Thus, when bodies a r e i n contact, gfi 5 0 (bodies a r e allowed t o
i n t e r p e n e t r a t e s l i g h t l y ) and the penalty s t r e s s i s an = Enngfi.

3. CONSTITUTIVE LAW - MICROSTRUCTURAL CONSIDERATIONS

The general framework o f the c o n s t i t u t i v e law given by equations (2.5) and

(2.6) i s a p p l i c a b l e t o a v a r i e t y o f contact problems. These v a r i e d a p p l i c a -
t i o n s a r e obtained by f o r m u l a t i n g the s l i p f u n c t i o n F and s l i p p o t e n t i a l G
such t h a t important p h y s i c a l features o f t h e contact problem a r e accounted f o r .
I n t h i s s e c t i o n we demonstrate several examples.

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 The f i r s t example t o be considered i s i l l u s t r a t i v e , simple, and i d e n t i c a l
t o t h e penaiizea Form o f the c l a s s i c Couiomb f r i c t i o n iaw ( r e f . 2 j . We i a e a i -
i z e t h e m a t e r i a l d i s c o n t i n u i t y as smooth w i t h no roughness whatsoever.
Coulomb's law o f f r i c t i o n r e q u i r e s

The s l i p f u n c t i o n and s l i p p o t e n t i a l f o r t h i s case a r e

These surfaces a r e shown i n f i g u r e 2. Equations (2.5) and (2.6(b,c)) become

0 0

0 0

n = Engn (3.4)

where sgn(at) denotes t h e s i g n o f ut and p i s t h e c o e f f i c i e n t o f

f r i c t i o n . Equation (3.4) i s seen t o be t h e c o r r e c t r e l a t i o n between r a t e s o f
normal s t r e s s and normal r e l a t i v e displacement and equation (3.3) provides t h e
r e l a t i o n between t h e t a n g e n t i a l stress and normal deformation r a t e s where
Engn i s recognized as the r a t e o f change o f normal s t r e s s and sgn(at) '

insures t h a t t h e t a n g e n t i a l s t r e s s r a t e has t h e a p p r o p r i a t e sign.

Rough, d i l a t a n t m a t e r i a l d i s c o n t i n u i t i e s . - P r o t o t y p i c a l m a t e r i a l I n t e r -
faces a r e m i c r o s c o p i c a l l y very rough; two extreme surface p r o f i l e s a r e shown
i n f i g u r e 3. The s i t u a t i o n depicted i n f i g u r e 3(a) has a rough surface w i t h
c l o s e i n i t i a l mating and i s c h a r a c t e r i s t i c o f i n t e r f a c e s , o r cracks, t h a t
propagate through an I n i t i a l l y continuous medium. An important f e a t u r e o f
these types o f d i s c o n t i n u i t i e s i s dilatancy: contact surface separation d u r i n g
r e l a t i v e t a n g e n t i a l motion due t o t h e a s p e r i t y surfaces o f one body r i d i n g up
on those o f t h e other. Such a d i s c o n t i n u i t y i s t y p i c a l o f crack surfaces i n
p o l y c r y s t a l l i n e and aggregate m a t e r i a l s and t h e e f f e c t s o f d i l a t a n c y may be
important. For example, consider a plane t o r t u o u s d i s c o n t i n u i t y w i t h a sharp
crack f r o n t i n a m a t e r i a l t h a t i s loaded i n plane shear o r a n t i p l a n e shear.
I f t h e crack was n o t tortuous then these loading c o n d i t i o n s would g i v e r i s e t o
mode I1 and 111 crack growth, r e s p e c t i v e l y . However, because o f t h e rough,
c l o s e l y mated d i s c o n t i n u i t y , mixed mode crack growth ( a d d i t i o n o f mode I) may
r e s u l t due t o d i l a t a n c y . A s i m p l i f i e d model f o r t h e surface shown i n
f i g u r e 3(a) was developed i n references 3 and 4 w i t h t h e f o l l o w i n g s l i p func-
t i o n and p o t e n t i a l

F = Iun s i n aK + u
t
COS a
K
I + v(u
n
COS aK - ut s i n a )
K (3.5)

G = lan s i n a
K
+ u
t
COS a
K
1 (3.6)

where i s an average a s p e r i t y o r i e n t a t i o n w i t h respect t o t h e macro-

scopic i n t e r f a c e tangent and K i s e i t h e r R o r L t o denote i f s l i d i n g i s
i n t h e r i g h t hand o r l e f t hand d i r e c t i o n , r e s p e c t i v e l y . Equations (3.5) and
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( 3 . 6 ) were obtained by assuming t h a t simple Coulomb f r i c t i o n as g i v e n by
equations ( 3 . 3 ) and ( 3 . 4 ) i s a c t i v e on each a s p e r i t y surface. The surface
F = 0 i s shown i n f i g u r e 4; t h e step d i s c o n t i n u i t y i n F occurs when t h e
a s p e r i t i e s have overridden one another and t h e d i s c o n t i n u i t y behavior becomes
n o n d i l a t a n t and i s assumed t o be governed by t h e simple Coulomb f r i c t i o n law
g i v e n by equations ( 3 . 3 ) and ( 3 . 4 ) . More r e a l i s t i c f r i c t i o n laws, such as
equation ( 3 . 7 ) discussed i n t h e f o l l o w i n g subsection, a r e p o s s i b l e f o r d i l a t a n t
surfaces, however, t h i s might correspond t o t h e modeling o f second order
e f f e c t s since f o r rough, c l o s e l y mated contact problems, d i l a t a n c y i s probably
r e s p o n s i b l e f o r the behavior t h a t i s observed.

Rough, n o n d i l a t a n t m a t e r i a l d i s c o n t i n u i t i e s . - The s i t u a t i o n depicted i n

f i g u r e 3(b) i s a rough i n t e r f a c e w i t h unmatched surfaces so t h a t c o n t a c t takes
p l a c e a t . o n l y a small number o f a s p e r i t y peaks. Such a d i s c o n t i n u i t y i s
c h a r a c t e r i s t i c o f man-prepared surfaces t h a t come i n t o contact. F o r engineer-
i n g purposes, these i n t e r f a c e s a r e n o n d i l a t i n g w i t h sometimes complex f r i c -
t i o n a l behavior. The f r i c t i o n o f such c o n t a c t i n g s o l i d s i s extremely s e n s i t i v e
t o a number o f f a c t o r s i n c l u d i n g environment, roughness, presence o f contami-
n a t i n g f i l m layers, s l i d i n g h i s t o r y , and temperature. Thus, i t i s very d i f f i -
c u l t t o make g e n e r a l i t i e s about f r i c t i o n a l behavior, although i n t h i s paper we
w i l l attempt t o do t h i s w i t h t h e understanding t h a t t h e r e a r e numerous excep-
t i o n s . I n p o s t u l a t i n g models f o r t h i s behavior, we draw h e a v i l y upon t h e work
o f Courtney-Pratt and Eisner ( r e f . 5), Bowden and Tabor ( r e f . 6 ) , K r a g e l s k i i
( r e f . 7 ) , and Buckley ( r e f . 8). Experimental methods f o r t h e d e t e r m i n a t i o n o f
necessary f r i c t i o n law parameters a r e n o t discussed and may pose some open
questions r e q u i r i n g a d d i t i o n a l research.

I n many respects, metals, glasses and ceramics have s i m i l a r f r i c t i o n and

wear behavior. I n t h i s paper, we w i l l a t t r i b u t e two-body ( u n l u b r i c a t e d ) f r i c -
t i o n t o t h r e e primary sources: (1) p l a s t i c i t y o f t h e surface f i l m l a y e r , ( 2 )
adhesion due t o the molecular a t t r a c t i o n o f bodies i n very c l o s e p r o x i m i t y , and
( 3 ) plowing due t o t h e p e n e t r a t i o n o f prominent a s p e r i t i e s through a surface
f i l m l a y e r , i f any, i n t o t h e adjacent m a t e r i a l . Usually o n l y one o f these
sources o f f r i c t i o n w i l l be a c t i v e a t any given time although sometimes sources
(1) and ( 3 ) o r ( 2 ) and ( 3 ) can e x i s t simultaneously. To represent t h i s behav-
i o r t h e f o l l o w i n g f r i c t i o n law i s considered

The f i r s t t e r m o f equation ( 3 . 7 ) represents t h e basic f r i c t i o n a l r e s i s -

tance o f t h e f i l m (contaminant) l a y e r t o p l a s t i c deformations. Surface f i l m s
a r e almost always present i n n o n i n e r t environments such as a i r . The f r i c t i o n a l
p r o p e r t i e s and wear r e s i s t a n c e o f m o s t m a t e r i a l s i s e x t r e m e l y s e n s i t i v e t o
environment and with t h e n o t a b l e exception o f glass, most m a t e r i a l s e x h i b i t
reduced f r i c t i o n and wear i n film-producing environments compared t o t h e i r
behavior i n a vacuum i n which surface f i l m s a r e n o t present o r a r e r a p i d l y
destroyed w i t h o u t regenerat on. Compared t o t h e i r f r i c t i o n a l r e s i s t a n c e i n a
f i l m - p r o d u c i n g environment, ceramics and glasses show up t o a 30 percent
increase i n a vacuum, w h i l e t h e increase f o r metals i s s i g n i f i c a n t l y g r e a t e r
a t up t o two orders o f magn tude (complete s e i z u r e ) . The reason f o r t h i s
marked behavior i s a change i n t h e source of f r i c t i o n . I n t h e presence o f a

8
surface film, the second and often times third terms of equation (3.7) are
negligible while the opposite Is true I n an Inert envlronrnent (ret. a j .
The second term of equation (3.7) represents frictional resistance due to
molecular attraction between bodies in very close contact. Thus, the larger
the number of asperities in intimate contact, i.e., the larger the actual area
of contact, the greater the adhesion. In equation (3.7), is the ratio of
the actual contact area, A, to the available, or macroscopic area, A,. To
quantify this, we consider the model of asperity contact shown in figure 5 in
which the state of stress at the asperity i s assumed to be sufficiently high
to cause local yielding. Assuming a maximum shear stress yield criterion
provides

(u; + 4):.
2
E = 7 (3.8)

where u is the yield stress, although it must be interpreted in a slightly

differen! sense than its usual definition as the uniaxial yield stress slnce
behavior of asperities involves local large deformation yielding. Rather, it
can be interpreted as the stress necessary to produce a certain amount of
constrained plastic deformation which is significantly higher than the initial
yield stress (ref. 9, pg. 335). This constant and pattr are determined
from experiments in which conditions are selected to eliminate the other
sources of friction appearing in equation (3.7).
Where surfaces are atomically clean, this source of friction can be very
substantial and particularly with metals, the frictional resistance from
adhesion and plowing can approach full seizure. Anything that tends to disrupt
atomically clean surfaces such as surface films or contaminants resulting from
an air environment decreases pattr and makes the affects of pfilm more
significant.
The last term of equation (3.7) represents friction due to the plowing of
asperities of one body through those of the other. This source of friction
becomes more prominent at higher compressive loads but i s diminished by the
presence of film layers which add a zone of softer material that must be
penetrated. For ceramics, frictional resistance I s generally load independent
except when a transition is made when asperities penetrate a surface layer and
begin plowing. The normal stress at which seizure occurs, useize, along wIth
0 and pplow must be determined from experiment. Thls source of friction
is prominent when contact involves materials with disparate hardnesses. For
example, ceramic-ceramic and glass-glass contact is controlled by film layer
and adhesive friction with no plowing. However, when metal contacts ceramic,
the metal is much softer and the ceramic will plow offering additional
resistance.
Although the constitutive law presented in this paper does not model wear,
it is an Important phenomenon that can Influence frictionai behavior. Because
of adhesion, there often i s a transfer of one material to another thus affect-
ing a change in surface profile and characteristics. This type of wear is most
pronounced for metals in contact with ceramic and glass (ref. 8). With metal-
ceramic contact systems, metal transfers to ceramic and eventually the contact
behaves as a metal-metal system. With metal-glass in air, metal also transfers
9
to glass although when in a vacuum, the opposite is generally the case; the
reason for this anomalous behavior is that the fracturing resistance of glass
is strongly water moisture dependent.
Anisotropy of frictional sliding and wear has been experimentally observed
for many single crystal metal and ceramic contact systems. For this case, a
version of equation (3.7) can be employed for each of the two principal tangen-
tial directions (directions displaying maximum and minimum values of friction).
Slip functions and slip potentials for anisotropic friction are presented i n
references 10 and 11.

4. FINITE ELEMENT IMPLEMENTATION

In this section we review the development of a simple two-dimensional
linear displacement finite element for contact-friction problems (ref. 2). The
element is suitable for modeling contact between regions that are discretized
by, for example, constant strain triangles or bilinear displacement quadri-
laterals. The macroscopic contact surface shown in figure l(b) Is discretized
into elements. One such element is shown in figure 6 with a natural (t,n)
coordinate system having origin at the center. The element has zero thickness
in the undeformed state but is shown separated for clarity.
Kinematics. - The element has four nodes and each node has two degrees of
freedom corresponding to displacements ut and Un, tangent and normal to
the plane of the surface, respectively. The length of the element is L. The
displacement of any point on surface 1-2 or surface 3-4 can be expressed.in
terms of nodal dlsplacements by
i = t,n
ui(t’n) = NIUiI I = 1,2,3,4 (4.1 1

where a lower case subscript denotes a vector component, upper case subscript
I denotes a node number, and the shape functions are

where -L/2 5 t 5 t L/2, n = -1 for surface 1-2 and n = t1 for surface 3-4;
values of n such that -1 < n < t1 have no meaning since the interface is
assumed to have Infinitesimal thickness when in contact. In matrix notation,
equat i on ( 4.1 ) becomes
(4.3)

10
where

(4.4)

'1
0 0 0
N1 N2 N3 N4
N =[
Y

0 0 0 0 N1 N2 N3 N4

Superscript T denotes v e c t o r o r m a t r i x t r a n s p o s i t i o n .

The r e l a t i v e tangent and normal c o n t a c t displacements a r e g i v e n by

g,(t) = Ui(t, - u p . -1)

+I) (4.5)

The d i s t r i b u t i o n o f t h e r e l a t i v e displacements, g i ( t ) , can be r e l a t e d t o t h e

node r e l a t i v e displacements by

g(t) = 9 (4.6)

The shape f u n c t i o n s H a r e r e l a t e d t o t h e shape f u n c t i o n s

Y N by
c*

H = T!,
Y (4.8)

=[:
where

0 0 0
0 1 0 0
L1 0 0 8 8
1 0 (4.9)

0 0 0 1
0 0 0 1
0 0 1 0,

11
 Furthermore, the r e l a t i v e node displacements a r e r e l a t e d t o t h e t o t a l node
displacements by

9= L2! (4.10)

where

:I
1 0 0 1 0 0 0

[
0 - 1 1 0 0 0 0
T 2 = 0 0 0 0 - 1 0 0 1 (4.11)
0 0 0 0 0 - 1 1 0

Combining equations (4.6), (4.8), and (4.10), t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n o f t h e

r e l a t i v e displacements a r e r e l a t e d t o t h e t o t a l node displacements by

g(t) =
*
BU
u
(4.12)

where

B = NT1T2
rn

I f t h e m a t r i x product i n equation (4.13(a)) i s expanded, we o b t a i n

(ltt) (1-t) 0 0 0
I
Y

0 0 0 -(l-t) -(ltt) (l+t) (1-t)

O 1

Eauilibrium. - To e q u i l i b r a t e t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n o f t h e contact stresses,

a ( t ) , w i t h t h e slave nodal (concentrated) forces, 2, we w i l l r e q u i r e t h e work
o f t h e d i s t r i b u t e d stresses t o be equal t o t h e work o f t h e nodal f o r c e s . Thus,
I
L/2
T j+l
dgT(t) [ g j ( t ) + d e ( t ) ] d t = d i
Y (4.14)

i where

(4.15)
l
and s u p e r s c r i p t j denotes, i n t h e case o f a dynamic a n a l y s i s , time j A t
I where A t i s the time step and i n t h e case o f an incremental s t a t i c a n a l y s i s ,
j denotes t h e s t a t e o f s t r e s s and deformation a t i t e r a t i o n number j.

Combining (4.14) w i t h (4.12) and n o t i n g t h e a r b i t r a r i n e s s o f du results

in

(4.16)

I 12
where

-f j = (‘I-L/2
2 YBT g j ( t ) d t (4.17)

o r i n o t h e r words, t h e increment of dL; dL = - f j , i s related t o the

hl

increment of t h e stresses by

L/2
Y

df = I,,, - BT d g ( t ) d t (4.18)

where NB and da a r e given by equations (4.13) and ( 2 . 5 ) ,

Y respectively.

S o l u t i o n Schemes. - For t r a n s i e n t f i n i t e element a n a l y s i s , t h e implementa-

t l o n o f t h e c o n s t i t u t j v e law presented i n t h i s paper i s p a r t i c u l a r l y s t r a i g h t -
forward i f t h e time i n t e g r a t i o n scheme i s e x p l i c i t . Two popular e x p l i c i t
i n t e g r a t o r s a r e t h e c e n t r a l d i f f e r e n c e and t h e e x p l i c i t Newmark methods
( r e f . 13). The advantage o f e x p l i c i t methods i s t h a t a t each time step t h e new
displacement c o n f i g u r a t i o n i s determlned completely i n terms o f h i s t o r i c a l
i n f o r m a t i o n . This enables equation (4.18) t o be evaluated using stresses based
upon h i s t o r i c a l displacements. Furthermore, i f a lumped (diagonal) mass m a t r i x
i s employed, time stepping can be accomplished w i t h o u t s o l v i n g systems o f non-
l i n e a r simultaneous equations. E x p l i c i t methods a r e easy t o program and show
good convergence f o r n o n l i n e a r problems b u t a r e c o n d i t i o n a l l y s t a b l e and o f t e n
p e r m i t o n l y small time step sizes. Nevertheless, f o r s h o r t and moderate dura-
t i o n t r a n s i e n t s , these methods can be very good. I m p l i c i t methods, such as
t r a p e z o i d a l r u l e and t h e i m p l i c i t Newmark f a m i l y , compute a new displacement
c o n f i g u r a t i o n using h i s t o r i c a l i n f o r m a t i o n and d e r i v a t i v e s o f t h e new (unknown)
displacement. Thus, these methods r e q u i r e t h e s o l u t i o n o f a n o n l i n e a r system
o f simultaneous equations a t each step which can e n t a i l considerable d i f f i -
c u l t y . The a t t r a c t i v e f e a t u r e o f these methods i s t h a t they have good s t a b i l -
i t y p r o p e r t i e s t h a t p e r m i t t h e use of t i m e steps t h a t a r e l a r g e r than those f o r
e x p l i c i t methods. However, these methods a r e more d i f f i c u l t t o program and
convergence f o r l a r g e time steps w i t h t h e c o n s t i t u t i v e law presented i n t h i s
paper i s an open question.

F o r s t a t i c a n a l y s i s , an incremental s o l u t i o n scheme can be obtained by

combining equation (4.18) w i t h equations (4.12) and (2.5) t o o b t a i n

dL = kep d i (4.19)

where t h e instantaneous (tangent) s t i f f n e s s m a t r i x i s

(4.20)

As p r e v i o u s l y mentioned, LeP and hence, &eP i s unsymmetric f o r

f r i c t i o n a l response. I n a d d i t i o n , i t i s p o s s i b l e t h a t i t may o c c a s i o n a l l y be
s i n g u l a r . Thus, approximate tangent s t i f f n e s s m a t r i x methods ( r e f s . 14 and 15)
( i . e . , approximate Newton-Raphson methods) t h a t use symmetric m a t r i c e s may be
more robust and economical.
13
 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

A c o n s t i t u t i v e model f o r complex, u n c l a s s i c a l c o n t a c t - f r i c t i o n problems

has been presented f o r a p p l i c a t l o n s t o d i l a t a n t and n o n d i l a t a n t surfaces.
Surface deformation i n the normal and t a n g e n t i a l d i r e c t i o n s a r e decomposed i n t o
e l a s t i c (recoverable) and p l a s t i c ( i r r e c o v e r a b l e ) components. Resultant normal
and t a n g e n t i a l stresses a r e determined from t h e deformations through a general
e l a s t o - p l a s t i c m a t e r i a l m a t r i x t h a t accounts f o r several important p h y s i c a l
f e a t u r e s o f t h e contact problem, namely surface roughness, r e l a t i v e mating o f
c o n t a c t surfaces, and an a p p r o p r i a t e surface f r i c t i o n law. F o r t h e u n l u b r i -
cated two body contact problem considered here, a t h r e e term general f r l c t i o n
law was formulated i n c l u d i n g p l a s t i c i t y o f a c o n t a c t surface f i l m l a y e r , adhe-
s i o n due t o molecular a t t r a c t i o n , and plowing due t o p e n e t r a t i o n o f c o n t a c t i n g
surface a s p e r i t i e s . A p p l i c a t i o n o f t h i s law t o metal-metal, ceramic-ceramic,
and metal-ceramic contact systems was discussed. Under general c o n d i t i o n s ,
u s u a l l y o n l y one o r two t e r m s o f t h i s model would a c t u a l l y be r e q u i r e d t o
adequately describe t h e contact.

F i n a l l y , a l i n e a r displacement contact i n t e r f a c e f i n i t e element t h a t i s

compatible w i t h constant s t r a i n t r i a n g l e o r b i l i n e a r displacement q u a d r i l a t e r a l
f i n i t e elements was formulated. Implementation o f t h i s element i n t o computer
codes combined w i t h t h e s o l u t i o n schemes discussed should a f f o r d s u f f i c i e n t
convergence r a t e s and s o l u t i o n s t a b i l i t y . Based on t h i s study, t h e f o l l o w i n g
s p e c i f i c r e s u l t s were obtained:

1. The c o n s t i t u t i v e law presented i n t h i s paper r e s u l t s i n an e l a s t o -

p l a s t i c m a t e r i a l m a t r i x f o r general f r i c t i o n a l behavior and leads t o s t r a j g h t -
fcrward f i n i t e elemtmt !mplementatton and 5o:ut:on iis:i;g e x l s t l i i g
methodologies.

2. The incremental f o r m o f t h e c o n s t i t u t i v e r e l a t i o n allows m o d e l l i n g o f

complex load-deformation h i s t o r i e s and can account f o r r e v e r s a l s o f s l i d i n g
d i r e c t i o n a t any time.

REFERENCES

1. Fredriksson, 6 . : On E l a s t o s t a t i c Contact Problems w i t h F r i c t i o n . PhD.

Thesis, Linkoping I n s t i t u t e o f Technology, Linkoping, Sweden, (Linkoping
Studies i n Science and Technology, D i s s e r t a t i o n No. 6) 1976.

2. Oden, J.T.; and Campos, L.: Some New Results on F i n i t e Element Methods f o r
Contact Problems w i t h F r i c t i o n . New Concepts i n F i n i t e Element Analysis,
T.J.R. Hughes, D. G a r t l i n g and R.L. S p i l k e r , eds., ASME, 1981, pp. 1-9.

3. Plesha, M.E.; and Belytschko, T.: On t h e Modeling o f Contact Problems w i t h

D i l a t i o n . A.P.S. Selvadurai and G.Z. V o y i a d j i s , eds., E l s e v i e r , 1986.

4. Plesha, M.E.: C o n s t i t u t i v e Models f o r Rock D i s c o n t i n u i t i e s w i t h D i l a t a n c y

and Surface Degradation. I n t . J. Numer. Anal. Methods Geomech., submitted
f o r p u b l i c a t i o n , 1986.

5. Courtney-Pratt, J . S . ; and Elsner, E.: The E f f e c t o f a Tangential Force on

t h e Contact of M e t a l l i c Bodies, Proc., R. SOC. London A, v o l . 238,
no. 1215, Jan. 29, 1957, pp. 529-550.
6. Bowden, F.P.; and Tabor, D.: The Friction and Lubrication of Solids,
Part I!. Oxford Qn!vers!ty Press, 2954.

7. Krajelskii, I.V.: Friction and Wear, English translation by L. Ronson and

J.K. Lancaster, Butterworths, 1965.
8. Buckley, D.H.: Friction and Wear Behavior of Glasses and Ceramics.
Surfaces and Interfaces of Glass and Ceramics, V.D. Frechette,
W.C. LaCourse and V.L. Burdick, eds., Plenum Press, 1974, pp. 101-126.
9. Malvern, L.E.: Introduction to the Mechanics of a Continuous Medium.
Prentice-Hall, 1969.
10. Curnier, A.: A Theory of Friction. Int. J. Solids Structures, vol. 20,
no. 7, 1984, pp. 637-647.
11. Cheng, J.H.; and Kikuchi, N.: An Incremental Constitutive Relation of
Unilateral Contact Friction for Large Deformation Analysis. 3 . Appl.
Mech., vol. 52, no. 3, Sept. 1985, pp. 639-648.
12. Ghaboussi, J.; Wilson, E.L.;and Isenberg, J.: Flnite Element for Rock
Joints and Interfaces. ASCE J. Soil Mech. Found. Div., vol. 99, no. SM10,
OCt. 1973, pp. 833-848.
13. Belytschko, T.: Explicit Time Integration of Structure - Mechanical
Systems. Advanced Structural Dynamics, 3. Donea, ed., Applied Science
Publishers Ltd., London, 1980, pp. 97-122.
14. Zlenkiewicz, O.C.: The Finite Element Method, 3rd ed., McGraw-Hill, 1977.
15. Pande, G.N.; and Pietruszczak, S., Symmetric Tangential Stiffness
Formulation for Non-Associated Plasticity, Computers and Geotechnics,
V O ~ .2, pp. 89-99, 1986.

15
 B? n

FIGURE 1.- (a) TWO BODY CONTACT I N 2-DIMENSIONS.(b) MACROSTRUCTURAL CONTACT SURFACE
WITH COORDINATE SYSTEM AND SURFACES SHOWN SEPARATED FOR CLARITY.

J F < O

'L~LIDING .
STATES OF STRESS
f =o

*t
LINES 1 AND 3: F < 0

I LINES 2 AND 4: f = 0

FicuaE 2. -
<ai S L i p SURFACE F = 0. SLIP SURFACE AND SLIP
POTENTIAL FOR NONDILATANT COULOMB FRICTION. THE SURFACE
G WHOSE NORMAL GIVES THE DIRECTION OF SLIDING. :0 IS
ALSO SHOWN, (b) POSSIBLE STRESS-DEFORMATION RESPONSE SHOW-
I N 6 UNLOADING AND SLIDING I N THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.
(b)

FIGURE 3.- EXAMPLES OF ROUGH SURFACE PROFILES: ( a ) DILATANT

SURFACE PROFILE WITH VERY CLOSE MATING. (b) NONDILATANT
SURFACE PROFILE WITH CONTACT AT ISOLATED ASPERITY PEAKS
ONLY.

FIGURE 4.- SLIP FUNCTION F = 0 FOR DILATANT COULOMB FRICTION.

 n

FIGURE 5 . - IDEALIZATION OF PLASTIC

DEFORMATION BETWEEN A S P E R I T I E S I N
CONTACT.

FIGURE 6.- 2-DIMENSIONAL LINEAR

DISPLACEMENT CONTACT F I N I T E
ELEMENT.
I. Report No. NASA TM-88838 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No.
ICOMP-86-1
5. Report Date

November 1986
6. Performing Organization Code
505-63-1 1
7 . Author@) 8. Performing Organization Report NO.

Michael E. Plesha and Bruce M. Steinetz E-31 81

IO. Work Unit No.

9. Performing Organization Name and Address

11. Contract or Grant No.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Lewis Research Center
Cleveland, Ohio 44135 13. Type of Report and Period Covered

2. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address Technical Memorandum

National Aeronautics and Space Administration 14. Sponsoring Agency Code
Washington, D.C. 20546

5. Supplementary Notes
Michael E. Plesha, Institute for Computational Mechanics in Propulsion, Lewis
Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio 44135 (work performed under Space Act Agreement
C99066-G), on leave from University of Wisconsin, Dept. of Engineering Mechanics,
Madison, Wisconsin 53201; Bruce M. Steinetz, NASA Lewis Research Center.
6. Abstract

This report addresses techniques for modeling complex, unclassical contact-

friction problems arising in solid and structural mechanics. A constitutive
modeling concept i s employed whereby analytic relations between increments of
contact surface stress (i.e., traction) and contact surface deformation (i.e.,
relative displacement) are developed. Because of the incremental form of these
relations, they are valid for arbitrary load-deformation histories. The motiva-
tion for the development of such a constitutive law is that more realistic fric-
tion idealizations can be implemented in finite element analysis software in a
consistent, straightforward manner. Of particular interest in this report is
modeling of two-body (i.e., unlubricated) metal-metal, ceramic-ceramic and metal-
ceramic contact. Interfaces involving ceramics are of engineering importance,
ceramics being considered for advanced turbine engines in which higher tempera-
ture materials offer potential for higher engine fuel efficiency.

7. Key Words (Suggested by Author@)) 18. Distribution Statement

Frictional contact; Constitutive Unclassified - unlimited

modeling; Finite element modeling STAR Category 39

9. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. S8CUrity Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of pages 22. Price'
Unclass i f i ed Unclassified
*For sale by the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161