This work presents the results of Finite Element Analyses (FEA) used to simulate sliding contact in two (2D) and three dimensions (3D) between two interfering elasto-plastic bodies. Cylinders are used to model sliding contact in 2D, simplified by the assumption of plane strain. Sliding is studied between two cylinders modeled with material properties of steel, and separately with a Glidcop cylinder sliding over an Al 6061-T651 cylinder. All materials are modeled as elastic-perfectly plastic and follow the von Mises yield criterion. Both frictionless as well as frictional sliding are investigated. The FEA results in trends in the deformation, reaction forces, stresses, and net energy loss as a function of sliding distance. All these results are found to be related to the magnitude of vertical interference. This work shows that for the plastic loading cases of frictionless sliding, the ratio of the vertical force to the horizontal reaction force is not zero at the point where the bodies are perfectly aligned about the vertical axis. This work also presents empirical equations that relate the net energy loss due to sliding under an elasto-plastic deformation as a function of the sliding distance. In addition, a load ratio of the horizontal reaction force to the vertical one is defined for frictionless sliding. Although this is analogous to the common definition of the coefficient of friction between sliding surfaces, it just contains the effect of energy loss in plasticity. The contact dimensions are obtained for different vertical interferences as sliding progresses. Comparisons are drawn between the FEA results of frictional and frictionless sliding. 3D modeling has been initiated to yield similar result parameters.

The objective of this study uses the plasticity theory of the slab method and the numerical analysis of the finite difference method to construct a mathematical model. And a computer program will be developed to evaluate the quality of the tubes formed by hydraulic expansion. Considering sticking and sliding modes, a mathematical model is proposed to predict the forming pressure needed to hydroform a circular tube into square and rectangular cross-sections and the thickness distribution of the product. In the sticking friction mode, it is assumed that the elements after contact with the die do not move or slide. Whereas, in the sliding friction mode, the element in contact with the die will continue to deform with the stress variation in the subsequent forming process. A series of FE simulations on tube expansion by a commercial FE code¡§DEFORM¡¨have been carried out. In addition, the experiment employing aluminum alloy AA 6063 that has been annealed to proceed the hydraulic expansion experiment. The comparisons between analysis and the result of forming pressure, corner radius and thickness distribution by experiment are verified the validity of this mathematical model. The effects of the forming parameters such as the die geometry, the material property of the tube, friction coefficient between the die and tube, etc., upon the expansion results, such as the forming pressure, corner radius, the tube contact distance with the die, thickness distribution after expansion, etc., are systematically discussed.

This work presents a three dimensional elastic-plastic model for two hemispherical bodies sliding across one another under various preset vertical interferences. In particular, steel-on-steel and aluminum-on-copper contact situations are considered. A finite element analysis is used for the model and the parameters to investigate include stresses, deformations, contact areas, and energy loss in sliding. Both frictional and frictionless sliding are investigated. In addidition to structural loads, electromagnetic loads are considered and a framework for a electromagneticlly, structurally, and thermally coupled model is investigated.

Thesis (M. S.)--Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008. / Committee Chair: Rick Neu; Committee Member: Itzhak Green; Committee Member: Jeffrey Streator

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The aim of this study is to evaluate a methodology for modeling the influence of crystallographic grain orientation on key parameters in normal and sliding contacts. The simulations of interfering cylindrical asperities, using finite element analysis, were conducted using two different plasticity models for copper: a conventional isotropic, homogeneous J2 plasticity model and a continuum crystal plasticity model. A normal contact study was conducted in which crystallographic orientation effects on different parameters were investigated. The model was then adapted for sliding contacts, which allowed other parameters such as energy dissipation to be investigated. Using crystal plasticity, the dependence of crystallographic orientation on plastic deformation and energy dissipation can be determined. The relative trends predicted using crystal plasticity are consistent with experiments that show friction depends on crystallographic orientation when plastic deformation is one of the primary energy dissipation mechanisms.

We have extended the HOLA molecular dynamics (MD) code to run slider-on-block friction experiments for Al and Cu. Both objects are allowed to evolve freely and show marked deformation despite the hardness difference. We recover realistic coefficients of friction and verify the importance of cold-welding and plastic deformations in dry sliding friction. Our first data also show a mechanism for decoupling between load and friction at high velocities. Such a mechanism can explain an increase in the coefficient of friction of metals with velocity. The study of the effects of currents on our system required the development of a suitable electrodynamic (ED) solver, as the disparity of MD and ED time scales threatened the efficiency of our code. Our first simulations combining ED and MD are presented. / text

The temperature rise at the interface of two sliding bodies has significant bearing on the friction and wear characteristics of the bodies. The friction heat generated at the interface can be viewed as "loss of exergy" of the system, which also leads to accelerated wear in the form of oxidation, corrosion, and scuffing. This has a direct impact on the performance of the components or the machinery. If the sliding interface is also conducting electric current then the physics at the interface becomes complicated. The presence of electrical current leads to Joule heat generation at the interface along with other effects like electromotive, electroplasticity, stress relaxation and creep. The interface of an electrical contact, either stationary or dynamic, is a complex environment as several different physical phenomena can occur simultaneously at different scales of observations. The main motivation for this work stems from the need to provide means for accurate determination or prediction of the critical contact parameters viz., temperature and contact resistance. Understanding the behavior of electrical contacts both static and dynamic under various operating conditions can provide new insights into the behavior of the interface. This dissertation covers three major topics: (1) temperature rise at the interface of sliding bodies, (2) study on static electrical contacts, and (3) study of factors influencing behavior of sliding electrical contacts under high current densities. A model for determining the steady-state temperature distribution at the interface of two sliding bodies, with arbitrary initial temperatures and subjected to Coulomb and/or Joule heating, is developed. The model applies the technique of least squares regression to apply the condition of temperature continuity at every point in the domain. The results of the analysis are presented as a function of non-dimensional parameters of Peclet number, thermal conductivity ratio and ellipticity ratio. This model is first of its kind and enables the prediction of full temperature field. The analysis can be applied to a macro-scale contact, ignoring surface roughness, between two bodies and also to contact between two asperities. This analysis also yields an analytical expression for determining the heat partition between two bodies, if the Jaeger's hypothesis of equating average temperatures of both the bodies is being implemented. In general for design purposes one is interested in either the maximum or the average temperature rise at the interface of two sliding bodies. Jaeger had presented simple equations, based on matching the average temperatures of both bodies, for square and band shaped contact geometries. Engineers since then have been using those equations for determining the interface temperature for circular and elliptical shaped contact geometries. Curve fit equations for determining the maximum and the average interface temperature for circular and elliptical contact with semi-ellipsoidal form of heat distribution are presented. These curve fit equations are also applicable for the case when both the bodies have dissimilar initial bulk temperatures. The equations are presented in terms of non-dimensional parameters and hence can easily be applied to any practical scenario. The knowledge of electrical contact resistance between two bodies is important in ascertaining the Joule heat generation at the interface. The prediction of the contact resistance thus becomes important in predicting the performance of the contact or the machinery where the contact exists. The existing models for predicting ECR suffer from the drawback of ambiguity of the definition of input parameters as they depend on the sampling resolution of the measuring device. A multi-scale ECR model which decomposes the surface into its component frequencies, thus capturing the multi scale nature of rough surfaces, is developed to predict the electrical contact resistance. This model, based on the JS multi-scale contact model, overcomes the sensitivity to sampling resolution inherent in many asperity based models in the literature. The multi-scale ECR model also offers orders of magnitude of savings in computation time when compared to deterministic contact models. The model predictions are compared with the experimental observations over a wide range of loads and surface roughness of the specimens, and it is observed that the model predictions are within 50% of the experimental observations. The effect of current cycling through static electrical contact is presented. It is observed that, the voltage drop across the contact initially increases with current until a certain critical voltage is increased. Beyond this critical point any increase in the current causes essentially no increase in steady-state contact voltage. This critical voltage is referred to as "saturation voltage." The saturation voltage for Al 6061 interface is found to be in the range of 160 - 190 mV and that for Cu 110 interface is in the range of 100 - 130 mV. The effect of load and surface roughness on voltage saturation is also demonstrated experimentally. An explanation based on the softening of the interface, due to temperature rise, is proposed rather than more widely referred hypothesis of recrystallization. The phenomenon of voltage saturation is also demonstrated in sliding electrical contacts. The behavior of sliding interfaces of aluminum-copper (Al-Cu) and aluminum-aluminum (Al-Al) are analyzed under high current densities. Experimental results are presented that demonstrate the influence of load, speed, current and surface roughness on coefficient of friction, contact voltage, contact resistance, interface temperature and wear rate. The experimental results reveal that thermal softening of the interface is the primary reason for accelerated wear under the test conditions. The results from the experiments presents an opportunity to form constitutive equations which could be used to predict the performance of the contact based on input parameters. The fusion of the findings of this dissertation provide methodologies along with experimental tools and findings to model, study and interpret the behavior of electrical contacts.

The design of traction mechanisms of continuous conveying units (e. g. plastic chains) is so far based on a purely mechanical dimensioning. However, mechanical limits are only applicable in a limited way to avoid system failure. With higher speeds or pressure, especially the thermal stress increases, which results in system failure based on softening or melting of the materials at a certain temperature. By means of systematic studies, correlations between friction temperature, coefficient of friction, wear and process parameters are examined. On this basis, a model for calculating the friction temperature is developed. / Die Konstruktion von Zugmitteln für kontinuierliche Fördereinheiten (z. B. Kunststoffketten) beruht bisher auf einer rein mechanischen Dimensionierung. Allerdings sind mechanische Grenzwerte zur Vermeidung von Systemausfall nur bedingt anwendbar. Bei größeren Geschwindigkeiten oder Druck erhöht sich insbesondere die thermische Beanspruchung, was bei einer bestimmten Temperatur zum Systemausfall durch Erweichung oder Schmelzen der Werkstoffe führt. In systematischen Untersuchungen wurden die Korrelationen zwischen Reibungstemperatur, Reibungskoeffizient, Verschleiß und den Prozessparametern untersucht. Auf dieser Basis wurde ein Modell zur Berechnung der Reibungstemperatur entwickelt.