ELASTIC ANALYSIS FOR CONTACT PROBLEMS WITH SURFACE STRESS EFFECTS

Based on surface elasticity, the influence of surface stress on contact problems at nanoscale is considered. The complex variable function method is adopted to derive the fundamental solutions of the contact problem. As examples, the deformations induced by a uniformly distributed traction are analyzed respectively. The results reveal some interesting characteristics in contact mechanics, which are distinctly different from those in classical elasticity. At nanoscale, the displacement gradient on the deformed surface transits continuously across the uniform distributed loading boundary as a result of surface effects. In addition, for nano-indentation, the indent depth depends strongly on the surface stress.