Multiscale contact mechanics for elastoplastic contacts
Abstract
Understanding contact between rough surfaces undergoing plastic deformation is crucial in many applications. We test Persson's multiscale contact mechanics theory for elastoplastic solids, assuming a constant penetration hardness. Using a numerical model based on the boundary element method, we simulate the contact between a flat rigid surface and an elastic-perfectly plastic half-space with a randomly rough surface. The theory's predictions for elastic, plastic, and total contact area agree quantitatively with the numerical results. The simulations also support the boundary conditions assumed in the theory, namely that the stress probability vanishes at both zero and yield stress. These findings reinforce the validity of the theory for systems with constant hardness.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Adhesion
Friction
and Surface Interactions
Mechanical stress and fatigue analysis
Force Microscopy Techniques and Applications
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Physical review. E
- Publisher
- American Physical Society (APS)
- Volume
- 113
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 015503–015503
- Publication date
- 2 January 2026
- Language
- EN