Contact characteristics of a rolling/sliding cylinder and a viscoelastic layer bonded to an elastic substrate

Abstract

The rolling or sliding contact of an elastic cylinder and a layered foundation has been investigated. The substrate of the foundation was modeled as a two-dimensional elastic half-space. The one-dimensional Maxwell model was used to describe the normal and tangential compliance of the viscoelastic surface layer bonded to the substrate. Conditions of partial and full slip within the contact area were considered. The Fredholm integral equation of the second kind was obtained to define the pressure distribution within the contact area. It has been established that the contact characteristics (i.e. pressure distribution, size and displacement of the contact zone and the indentation of the cylinder into the viscoelastic layer) depend on three non-dimensional parameters. Using these parameters the dependence of the contact characteristics upon the load, velocity, geometrical and mechanical properties of the contacting bodies was investigated. A model has also been developed to describe the traction at the contact interface of the elastic cylinder and the layered foundation. The model was used to analyze and determine the distribution and size of the slip and no-slip zones for different values of viscoelastic layer properties and sliding friction coefficients. As a result of the stress analysis, the rolling friction coefficient has been determined and investigated as a function of the non-dimensional parameters under consideration.