Investigation of Ductile Point-Contact Yield Strength and Bilinear Reinforced Elastic–Plastic Mechanical Behavior Model

Abstract

Ductile point-contact structures are widely used in engineering applications, with their yield strength and mechanical behavior directly related to the application safety of relevant engineering structures. The Hertz elastic contact theory can effectively express the mechanical behavior of a point-contact structure at the initial stage of load bearing. However, it cannot be applied when the structure has a characteristic yield. In this study, by analyzing the stress distribution characteristics of a point-contact structure prior to characteristic yield, the maximum contact stress on the contact surface was numerically calculated and summarized. Based on the assumption of simplified bilinear constitutive relation of materials, an elastic–plastic analytical model was derived to characterise the mechanical behavior of ductile point-contact structures before and after yield, with its validity verified using the finite element numerical calculations and experimental method.