A review of the method of dimensionality reduction in contact mechanics: Applications for structural damping, wear and adhesion

Abstract

In the method of dimensionality reduction (MDR), contacts of three-dimensional bodies are mapped to the contact problem with a one-dimensional elastic or viscoelastic foundation. This is valid for the normal contact, the tangential contact and the normal contact of viscoelastic bodies. For the above classes of contact problems, several examples are considered and discussed in detail. This includes: (a) Fretting wear for arbitrary histories of loading (for simultaneous oscillations both in normal and horizontal directions); (b) Frictional damping under the influence of oscillations in normal and tangential direction as well as normal and torsional loading; (c) Adhesion of bodies of arbitrary axis-symmetric shape with extension to the adhesive contact of elastomers.