Frictional Hertzian contact problems under cyclic loading using static reduction

In this study we investigate an axisymmetric Hertzian contact problem of a rigid sphere pressing into an elastic half-space under cyclic loading. A numerical solution is sought to obtain a steady state, which demands a large amount of computer memory and computing speed. To achieve a tractable problem, the current numerical model uses a “static reduction” technique, which employs only a contact stiffness matrix rather than the entire stiffness of the problem and is more accurate than the approach used by most finite element codes. Investigation of the tendency of contact behavior in the transient and steady states confirms that a steady state exists, showing converged energy dissipation. The dependence of dissipation on load amplitude shows a power law of load amplitude less than 3, which may explain some deviations in the experimental findings.