Contact between deformable solids: The fully coupled approach

Abstract

This paper presents a finite element technique to handle frictional contact between bodies submitted to large deformations. Contact finite elements, based on a penalty method, are derived from the virtual work principle. The originality lies in the fact that the contact conditions (Signorini's conditions and Coulomb friction law) are expressed at some integration points and not at the nodal points. The development of contact introduces a coupling between the Degrees Of Freedom (DOF) of the bodies. In certain cases, this Coupling can be neglected in the numerical strategy.