Mechanics of Elastic Contacts

Book excerpt: Materials and mechanical engineering researchers studying wear, fretting, elastic indentation testing and other tribological processes frequently need closed-form solutions for various attributes of contacts. These characteristics include contact law, pressure distribution, internal state of stress induced and the influence of friction. Materials and mechanical engineering researchers studying wear, fretting, elastic indentation testing and other tribological processes frequently need closed-form solutions for various attributes of contacts. These characteristics include contact law, pressure distribution, internal state of stress induced and the influence of friction. These solutions, scattered throughout the applied mechanics literature, are difficult to locate, are presented using a range of solution techniques, and express results in a way that is suitable only for experts in the field. `Mechanics of Elastic Contacts' uses a consistent set of recipes for the solution of all relevant problems, presents results in the simplest possible forms, and contains summaries using tabulated data. This reference source will provide a clear guide to elastic contacts for engineering designers, materials scientists and tribologists irrespective of their level of expertise in this important subject.