Flat and rounded fretting contact problems incorporating elastic layers

The problem of plane elastic contact between a thin strip and symmetric flat and rounded punches is studied. This geometry has recently been used by a number of researchers to assess life of various mechanical couplings undergoing fretting fatigue. Most of the experimental fixtures used do not allow the problem to be treated using the conventional half-plane approximation. Here we propose a numerical approach, which enables the solution of configurations characterised by finite strip thickness, avoiding the use of finite element analyses. Various loading regimes and contact configurations are treated in detail and both surface tractions and internal stresses are derived. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.