Finite Element Analysis of a Sandwich Friction Experiment Model of Rocks

Sandwich friction experiments are one of the most widely used standard methods for measuring the frictional behavior between rocks. A finite element code for modeling the nonlinear friction contact between elastoplastic bodies has been developed and extended to analyze the sandwich friction experiment model with a rate- and state-dependent friction law. The influences of prescribed slip velocity and variation of movement direction and state on the friction coefficient, the relative slip velocity, the normal contact force, the frictional force, the critical frictional force and the transition of stick-slip state between the deformable rocks are thoroughly investigated, respectively. The calculated results demonstrate the usefulness of this code for simulating the friction behavior between rocks.