Assessing the complete solution set of the planar frictional wedging problem

This paper examines the computation of all the (infinitely many) solutions of the frictional wedging problem in the non-coercive context by an algorithm applied to its complementarity formulation. Our analysis offers insights regarding the mechanical and the geometrical meaning of the solution set. We find that the solution structure depends much on the value of the coefficient of friction. The evidence indicates that non-coercivity implies much longer computation times. Coefficients of friction at the onset of wedging are computed and related.