On the Receding Contact Between a Homogeneous Elastic Layer and a Half-plane Substrate Coated with Functionally Graded Materials

Abstract

Mechanical contact threatens the integrity of engineering structures. In particular, receding contact is one of the primary causes that are responsible for the delamination of multilayered elastic structures. This paper aims to analyze the receding contact between a homogeneous elastic layer and a half-plane reinforced by a functionally graded coating. The multilayered structure is indented by a rigid stamp of convex profile. Governing equations and mixed boundary conditions of the double contact problem are converted into a pair of singular integral equations by Fourier integral transforms. The dual integral equations are numerically solved by Gauss–Chebyshev quadrature for the contact pressure and contact length at both interfaces of contact. Taking a circular punch as a case study, the developed algorithm is first validated against classical models available in the literature. Extensive parametric studies are subsequently performed to illustrate the effects of indentation load, geometry and material properties of individual components. Numerical results suggest the possibility of optimizing multilayered structures by the introduction of functionally graded materials (FGMs) as coatings or transitional layers.