3-DIMENSIONAL INFINITE BOUNDARY ELEMENTS FOR CONTACT PROBLEMS

A three-dimensional infinite boundary element method for the modelling of half space contact problems is presented. The infinite surface of the half space is discretized into a finite number of elements with the elements extending to infinity mapped onto finite elements. A special mapping scheme that handles the singular integrals over those infinite boundary elements is introduced. The infinite boundary element scheme treats the effect of infinity correctly, leading to excellent accuracy which is verified for a half space subjected to uniform pressure in a circular region and a square region on the surface. The utility of the program is then illustrated through the analysis of the stress concentration at the surface of an oblate spheroidal cavity, serving as a model for a naturally occurring void, embedded in the half space subjected to normal and tangential surface tractions.