An elastoplastic finite element study of cylindrical plane-strain contact for steel/steel and Inconel 617/Incoloy 800H undergoing unidirectional sliding

Abstract

The current work employs a two-dimensional plane strain finite element analysis to investigate the unidirectional sliding contact between a deformable half-cylinder and a deformable flat block. The unidirectional sliding is governed by a displacement-controlled action where the materials of the two contacting bodies are first set to identical steels at 20 ℃ and then to Inconel 617 and Incoloy 800H at 800 ℃. First, a normal interference (indentation) is applied, which is followed by unidirectional sliding. The von Mises stress distribution, plastic strain distribution, junction growth, normal force, tangential force, effective coefficient of friction, and scars on the surface of the block are obtained during the sliding motion. The leading edge of the contacting area and the bulk material under the leading edge experience large von Mises stresses. The large plastic strain is found on the surface of the block, and forms a “pocket” shape under the surface. The junction growth is also investigated, showing the direction of the growth is in the same direction of the tangential force that the weaker material experiences. The forces and the effective coefficient of friction are found to stabilize after a certain sliding distance, and the effective coefficient of friction converges to the coefficient of friction used in the model. Pileup is found on the surface of the block after a sufficient unidirectional sliding distance.