Contact surface optimization using boundary element method

Abstract

A contact surface design technique, based on a linear programming formulation that was originally developed for the finite element method, has been extended to contact problems modeled using the boundary element method. The design optimization is driven by the minimization of peak contact traction that is a primary variable in the boundary element method. The contact of an elastic body with a rigid surface is considered. The schemes for the modification of the geometry of both the rigid surface and the elastic body are proposed. The solutions of example problems are presented to demonstrate the validity of the present formulations.