On the Transient Effects at the Beginning of 3D Elastic-Plastic Rolling Contacts for a Circular Point Contact Considering Isotropic Hardening

Abstract

In a three-dimensional transient simulation of the elastic–plastic rolling contact, transient effects can be observed at the beginning of the rolling until a stationary state is reached after rolling for a length of several times the contact radius. In most cases, the steady-state regime is in focus of scientific investigations, whereas the transient effects are hardly considered. In the present work, those transient effects at the beginning of a frictionless rolling contact of a rigid sphere on an elastic–plastic plane are studied in detail. The analysis is limited to isotropic strain hardening. In particular, the changes of the contact pressure during rolling, as well as the plastic strain state and plastic deformations remaining after rolling are investigated. This is intended to get to the bottom of existing explanatory approaches from literature, which are based on the change in conformity. Beyond that, a more profound explanation of the transient effects is developed by identifying existing correlations.