Fretting contact of a functionally graded piezoelectric layered half-plane under a conducting punch

Abstract

This paper investigates the fretting contact between a functionally graded piezoelectric layered half-plane and a rigid cylindrical punch. The electro-elastic properties of functionally graded piezoelectric materials (FGPMs) vary exponentially along the thickness direction. It is assumed that the punch is a perfect conductor with a constant electric potential within the contact region. The two bodies are brought into contact first by a monotonically increasing normal load, and then by a cyclic tangential load which is less than that necessary to cause complete sliding. The whole contact region is composed of an inner stick region and two outer slip regions in which Coulomb’s friction law is assumed. The problem is reduced to a set of coupled Cauchy singular integral equations by using the Fourier integral transform technique and the superposition theorem. An iterative method is used to determine the unknown stick/slip region, normal contact pressure, electric charge and tangential traction. The effects of the resultant electric charge and gradient index on the surface electromechanical fields are discussed during different loading phases. It is found that FGPMs could potentially be applied to improve fretting contact damage in smart devices.