THE MOVING FRICTION CONE APPROACH FOR THREE-DIMENSIONAL CONTACT SIMULATIONS

A finite element contact approach based on the Moving Friction Cone (MFC) formulation is presented herein. The formulation is based on the contact constraint described using a single gap vector. Such a simplification, in comparison with the standard approach where normal and tangential gap vectors are used, results in significantly simpler, shorter and faster element code. The associated penalty is formulated to include large deformations and displacements. Within this approach a triangular contact element is developed using a high abstract mathematical level of symbolic description. Using this technique, a consistent linearization is obtained which leads to quadratic rates of convergence. Furthermore, the new technique results in algorithmic robustness, fast evaluation time, as well as a compact element code.