Work

Analysis of bilateral constrained sliding contact problems with variable friction coefficients via a cumulative frictional dissipation approach

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: • In Coulomb friction law, an internal variable related to the state of the contact surface is introduced to adapt to the wear phenomenon. • A detection method capable of identifying the positional relationship between two elements of contact bodies during the collision process is constructed. • The bi-potential function is extended to the problems of rigid bilateral constraints for the first time. • An algorithm for solving the variable friction contact problems is proposed. • The problems of bilateral contact in non-ideal structures under the conditions of variable friction and initial contact clearance are solved by the proposed algorithm. This work investigates the bidirectional relationship between contact mechanics and frictional wear behavior in bilateral constrained sliding contact. An internal state variable representing the contact surface condition is incorporated into the Coulomb friction law to account for wear phenomena. A contact detection method has been constructed to identify the positional relationship between two elements during contact, leveraging vector-related features of the vertices on the contact area between the slideway and the slider. A bipotential function for rigid bilateral constraints is formulated by introducing a stability factor. Combining the potential-Coulomb contact force model, a numerical algorithm is developed for variable friction contact problems on the basis of cumulative frictional dissipation and is initially implemented for rigid body bilateral contact problems. The algorithm is subsequently applied to bilateral constraint analysis in a sliding mechanism under both constant and variable friction conditions, and the influences of the wear and contact clearance factors are studied. The numerical results demonstrate consistency with energy conservation principles and dynamic laws, validating the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. This work extends the applicability of the bipotential function approach and provides a theoretical foundation and analytical tools for optimizing bilateral nonideal contact structures and predicting equipment service life.

Source: Theoretical and Applied Mechanics Letters

DOI: 10.1016/j.taml.2025.100641

Authors: Ling Tao, Ling Wang, Ning Hu, Shaowei Tong, Hong Wen, Qingshui Qiu

Institutions: Xihua University, Hebei University of Technology, State Key Laboratory of Reliability and Intelligence of Electrical Equipment

Language: English

Topic: Contact Mechanics and Variational Inequalities

Subfield: Computational Theory and Mathematics

Field: Computer Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,200

Funders: Xihua University, Sichuan Province Science and Technology Support Program