Dynamical Contact Problems with Friction: Models, Methods, Experiments and Applications. Lecture Notes in Applied Mechanics, Vol 3

Abstract

1R8. Dynamical Contact Problems with Friction: Models, Methods, Experiments and Applications. Lecture Notes in Applied Mechanics, Vol 3. - W Sextro (Inst of Mech, Univ of Hannover, Applestr 11, Hannover, 30167, Germany). Springer-Verlag, Berlin. 2002. 159 pp. ISBN 3-540-43023-7. $79.95. Reviewed by C Poli (Mech and Indust Dept, Univ of Massachusetts, Amherst MA 01003).This 157-page reference book describes the results of the author’s research carried out at the University of Hannover in Germany at the Institute of Mechanics. The audience for the book is other researchers working in the same general area. The book’s goal is to describe, as the author states, “an efficient procedure to model dynamical contact problems with friction.” The author does this by developing an alternative method to investigate the dynamical contact problems applicable to elastic bodies. The book is divided into seven chapters. The first chapter gives a nice general overview of the roll of friction in both transmitting forces and in dissipating energy. Several examples of where friction is used to transmit forces and/or dissipate energy are included in this chapter. Chapter 1 also includes an excellent review of past work in the area. In the second chapter, the author discusses the governing equations of motion assuming linear elasticity and concludes with a section that deals with the modal description of elastic bodies. In the next chapter, which is the longest chapter in the book, the author describes the point contact model and derives the corresponding equations. The effects of temperature and the development of wear are also included. Chapter 4 describes the experimental setup used to verify the point contact model developed in the previous chapter. Chapter 5 deals with analytical and experimental methods applied to bladed disc assemblies in turbomachinery. Chapter 6 deals with the rolling contact that occurs in wheel-track systems such as in railways, while the final chapter provides a summary and conclusion for the work presented in the previous chapters. Although the English used in Dynamical Contact Problems with Friction: Models, Methods, Experiments and Applications may not be perfect, it is certainly more than adequate. While the figures could be improved, they too are more than adequate considering both the aims of the book and the intended audience. This reviewer would recommend this reference book to anyone working in this same area.