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At least 793 records · Page 44

A constitutive law for finite element contact problems with unclassical friction

Techniques for modeling complex, unclassical contact-friction problems arising in solid and structural mechanics are discussed. A constitutive modeling concept is employed whereby analytic relations between increments of contact surface stress (i.e., traction) and contact surface deformation (i.e., relative displacement) are developed. Because of the incremental form of these relations, they are valid for arbitrary load-deformation histories. The motivation for the development of such a constitutive law is that more realistic friction idealizations can be implemented in finite element analysis software in a consistent, straightforward manner. Of particular interest is modeling of two-body (i.e., unlubricated) metal-metal, ceramic-ceramic, and metal-ceramic contact. Interfaces involving ceramics are of engineering importance and are being considered for advanced turbine engines in which higher temperature materials offer potential for higher engine fuel efficiency.

Plesha, M. E.↗

Predicted effect of dynamic load on pitting fatigue life for low-contact-ratio spur gears

How dynamic load affects the surface pitting fatigue life of external spur gears was predicted by using the NASA computer program TELSGE. Parametric studies were performed over a range of various gear parameters modeling low-contact-ratio involute spur gears. In general, gear life predictions based on dynamic loads differed significantly from those based on static loads, with the predictions being strongly influenced by the maximum dynamic load during contact. Gear mesh operating speed strongly affected predicted dynamic load and life. Meshes operating at a resonant speed or one-half the resonant speed had significantly shorter lives. Dynamic life factors for gear surface pitting fatigue were developed on the basis of the parametric studies. In general, meshes with higher contact ratios had higher dynamic life factors than meshes with lower contact ratios. A design chart was developed for hand calculations of dynamic life factors.

Lewicki, David G.↗

The physics of the cometary contact surface

The contact surface, which separates outflowing cometary plasma from solar wind controlled cometary plasma, is explained in terms of a balance between the magnetic pressure gradient force and ion-neutral drag. Giotto data indicate that the plasma pressure inside the contact surface cannot balance the sum of the external plasma and magnetic pressures, and therefore a Venus-like ionopause is not present at the contact surface. An expression for the magnetic field strength as a function of cometocentric distance is derived from the momentum equation. The theoretical magnetic field profile agrees quite well with the profile measured by the Giotto magnetometer in the vicinity of the contact surface.

Cravens, Thomas E.↗

Generation of spiral bevel gears with conjugate tooth surfaces and tooth contact analysis

A new method for generation of spiral bevel gears is proposed. The main features of this method are as follows: (1) the gear tooth surfaces are conjugated and can transform rotation with zero transmission errors; (2) the tooth bearing contact is localized; (3) the center of the instantaneous contact ellipse moves in a plane that has a fixed orientation; (4) the contact normal performs in the process of meshing a parallel motion; (5) the motion of the contact ellipse provides improved conditions of lubrication; and (6) the gears can be manufactured by use of Gleason's equipment.

Litvin, Faydor L.↗

Investigation of non-linear contact for a clearance-fit bolt in a graphite/epoxy laminate

Numerous analytical studies have been published for the nonlinear load-contact variations in clearance-fit bolted joints. In these studies, stress distributions have been obtained and failure predictions have been made. However, very little experimental work has been reported regarding the contact or the stresses. This paper describes a fiber-optic technique for measuring the angle of contact in a clearance-fit bolt-loaded hole. Measurements of the contact angle have been made in a quasi-isotropic graphite-epoxy laminate by the optical as well as an electrical technique, and the results have been compared with those obtained from a finite-element analysis. The results from the two experimental techniques show excellent agreement; the finite-element results show some discrepancy, probably due to the interfacial frictions.

Prabhakaran, R.↗

Starvation effects on the hydrodynamic lubrication of rigid nonconformal contacts in combined rolling and normal motion

The effect of inlet starvation on the hydrodynamic lubrication of lightly loaded rigid nonconformal contacts in combined rolling and normal motion is determined through a numerical solution of the Reynolds' equation for an isoviscous, incompressible lubricant. Starvation is effected by systematically reducing the fluid inlet level. The pressures are taken to be ambient at the inlet meniscus boundary and Reynolds' boundary condition is applied for film rupture in the exit region. Results are presented for the dynamic performance of the starved contacts in combined rolling and normal motion for both normal approach and separation. During normal approach the dynamic load ratio (i.e. ratio of dynamic to steady state load capacity) increases considerably with increase in the inlet starvation. The effect of starvation on the dynamic peak pressure ratio is relatively small. Further, it has been observed that with increasing starvation, film thickness effects become significant in the dynamic behavior of the nonconformal contacts. For significantly starved contacts the dynamic load ratio increases with increase in film thickness during normal approach and a similar reduction is observed during separation. A similar effect is noted for the dynamic peak pressure ratio.

Ghosh, M. K.↗

Advances in contact algorithms and their application to tires

Currently used techniques for tire contact analysis are reviewed. Discussion focuses on the different techniques used in modeling frictional forces and the treatment of contact conditions. A status report is presented on a new computational strategy for the modeling and analysis of tires, including the solution of the contact problem. The key elements of the proposed strategy are: (1) use of semianalytic mixed finite elements in which the shell variables are represented by Fourier series in the circumferential direction and piecewise polynomials in the meridional direction; (2) use of perturbed Lagrangian formulation for the determination of the contact area and pressure; and (3) application of multilevel iterative procedures and reduction techniques to generate the response of the tire. Numerical results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of a proposed procedure for generating the tire response associated with different Fourier harmonics.

Noor, Ahmed K.↗

Spur gears: Optimal geometry, methods for generation and Tooth Contact Analysis (TCA) program

The contents of this report include the following: (1) development of optimal geometry for crowned spur gears; (2) methods for their generation; and (3) tooth contact analysis (TCA) computer programs for the analysis of meshing and bearing contact on the crowned spur gears. The method developed for synthesis is used for the determination of the optimal geometry for crowned pinion surface and is directed to reduce the sensitivity of the gears to misalignment, localize the bearing contact, and guarantee the favorable shape and low level of the transmission errors. A new method for the generation of the crowned pinion surface has been proposed. This method is based on application of the tool with a surface of revolution that slightly deviates from a regular cone surface. The tool can be used as a grinding wheel or as a shaver. The crowned pinion surface can also be generated by a generating plane whose motion is provided by an automatic grinding machine controlled by a computer. The TCA program simulates the meshing and bearing contact of the misaligned gears. The transmission errors are also determined.

Litvin, Faydor L.↗

A substructure technique for dynamics of flexible mechanical systems with contact-impact

A substructure synthesis method is proposed to account for contact-impact effects in flexible components of mechanical systems. Components that may come into contact is divided into substructures, on each of which local deformation modes are defined to described deformation fields of components. Constraint modes and fixed interface normal modes are used to account for elastic deformation within each substructure. A constraint addition-deletion technique is used to account for contact between impacting bodies. Lagrange multipliers associated with the constraints, which represent constraint forces, are used to determine separation of contacting nodes. Use of the method is illustrated on problems of longitudinal and transverse impact of bodies.

Wu, S.-C.↗

Topology of modified helical gears and Tooth Contact Analysis (TCA) program

The contents of this report covers: (1) development of optimal geometries for crowned helical gears; (2) a method for their generation; (3) tooth contact analysis (TCA) computer programs for the analysis of meshing and bearing contact of the crowned helical gears; and (4) modelling and simulation of gear shaft deflection. The developed method for synthesis was used to determine the optimal geometry for a crowned helical pinion surface and was directed to localize the bearing contact and guarantee favorable shape and a low level of transmission errors. Two new methods for generation of the crowned helical pinion surface are proposed. One is based on the application of a tool with a surface of revolution that slightly deviates from a regular cone surface. The tool can be used as a grinding wheel or as a shaver. The other is based on a crowning pinion tooth surface with predesigned transmission errors. The pinion tooth surface can be generated by a computer-controlled automatic grinding machine. The TCA program simulates the meshing and bearing contact of the misaligned gears. The transmission errors are also determined. The gear shaft deformation was modelled and investigated. It was found that the deflection of gear shafts has the same effect as gear misalignment.

Litvin, Faydor L.↗

Experimental and simulation studies of hard contact in force reflecting teleoperation

Experiments and simulations of a single-axis force-reflecting teleoperation system have been conducted to investigate the problem of contacting a hard environment and maintaining a controlled force in teleoperation in which position is fed forward from the hand controller (master) to the manipulator (slave), and force is fed back to the human operator through motors in the master. The simulations, using an electrical circuit model, reproduce the behavior of the real system, including effects of human operator biomechanics. It is shown that human operator properties, which vary as a result of different types of grasp of the handle, affect the stability of the system in the hard-contact task. The effect of a heavier grasp on the handle is equivalent to increased hand-controller velocity damping in terms of the systems stability in the contact task, but control system damping sufficient to guarantee stable contact results in perceptible sluggishness of the control handle's response in free motion. These results suggest that human operator biomechanics must be taken into account to guarantee stable and ergonomic performance of advanced teleoperators.

Hannaford, Blake↗

Experiences in extraction of contact parameters from process-evaluation test-structures

Six-terminal-contact test structures are introduced for characterizing ohmic contacts between a metal and a heavily doped semiconductor layer. Specifically, the six-terminal test structure supplies the additional information needed in order to calculate the transmission length and eventual corrections to the characteristic resistance per unit width due to finite contact length. The essential feature of this test structure is a square contact with four taps in the lower (semiconductor) layer. Every other one of these taps is used for current injection ('front'). From the voltage drop at the opposite tap and the side taps, the 'end' resistance and the 'side' resistances are calculated. The test structures are shown to give valuable information complementary to the common front resistance measurements. The interfacial resistivity is obtained directly after proper correction for flange effects.

Lieneweg, Udo↗

Mixed finite element formulation for frictionless contact problems

Simple mixed finite element models and a computational procedure are presented for the solution of frictionless contact problems. The analytical formulation is based on a form of Reissner's large-rotation theory of the structure with the effect of transverse shear deformation included. The contact conditions are incorporated into the formulation by using a perturbed Lagrangian approach with the fundamental unknowns consisting of the internal forces (or stress resultants), the generalized displacements, and the Lagrange multipliers associated with the contact conditions. Numerical examples of axisymmetric deformations of a hemispherical shell and planar deformations of a circular ring are presented. Both structures are pressed against a rigid plate. Detailed information about the response of the structures is presented. The numerical studies demonstrate the high accuracy of the mixed models and the effectiveness of the computational procedure based on combining the geometrically nonlinear terms and the contact conditions in one iteration loop.

Noor, Ahmed K.↗

Computer-aided design of high-contact-ratio gears for minimum dynamic load and stress

A computer aided design procedure is presented for minimizing dynamic effects on high contact ratio gears by modification of the tooth profile. Both linear and parabolic tooth profile modifications of high contact ratio gears under various loading conditions are examined and compared. The effects of the total amount of modification and the length of the modification zone were systematically studied at various loads and speeds to find the optimum profile design for minimizing the dynamic load and the tooth bending stress. Parabolic profile modification is preferred over linear profile modification for high contact ratio gears because of its lower sensitivity to manufacturing errors. For parabolic modification, a greater amount of modification at the tooth tip and a longer modification zone are required. Design charts are presented for high contact ratio gears with various profile modifications operating under a range of loads. A procedure is illustrated for using the charts to find the optimum profile design.

Lin, Hsiang Hsi↗

Contact spreading and the Au3In-to-Au9In4 transition in the Au-InP system

An investigation is made of the third stage in the series of solid-state reactions that occur between InP and its most commonly used contact material, Au. This reaction, which results in the transformation of the contacting metallization from the pink-colored Au3In to the silver-colored Au9In4, is shown to be controlled by an In-Au exchange or kickout mechanism operating at the interface between the two phases. Contact spreading, a rapid lateral expansion of the contact metallization that can consume large quantities of InP during growth, is shown to be another manifestation of this final stage in the InP-Au reaction. A detailed description of the mechanisms, including an investigation of the kinetics of the processes involved, is presented.

Weizer, Victor G.↗

A new procedure for calculating contact stresses in gear teeth

A numerical procedure for evaluating and monitoring contact stresses in meshing gear teeth is discussed. The procedure is intended to extend the range of applicability and to improve the accuracy of gear contact stress analysis. The procedure is based upon fundamental solution from the theory of elasticity. It is an iterative numerical procedure. The method is believed to have distinct advantages over the classical Hertz method, the finite-element method, and over existing approaches with the boundary element method. Unlike many classical contact stress analyses, friction effects and sliding are included. Slipping and sticking in the contact region are studied. Several examples are discussed. The results are in agreement with classical results. Applications are presented for spur gears.

Somprakit, Paisan↗

A system-approach to the elastohydrodynamic lubrication point-contact problem

The classical EHL (elastohydrodynamic lubrication) point contact problem is solved using a new system-approach, similar to that introduced by Houpert and Hamrock for the line-contact problem. Introducing a body-fitted coordinate system, the troublesome free-boundary is transformed to a fixed domain. The Newton-Raphson method can then be used to determine the pressure distribution and the cavitation boundary subject to the Reynolds boundary condition. This method provides an efficient and rigorous way of solving the EHL point contact problem with the aid of a supercomputer and a promising method to deal with the transient EHL point contact problem. A typical pressure distribution and film thickness profile are presented and the minimum film thicknesses are compared with the solution of Hamrock and Dowson. The details of the cavitation boundaries for various operating parameters are discussed.

Lim, Sang Gyu↗

Alternative methods to model frictional contact surfaces using NASTRAN

Elongated (slotted) holes have been used extensively for the integration of equipment into Spacelab racks. In the past, this type of interface has been modeled assuming that there is not slippage between contact surfaces, or that there is no load transfer in the direction of the slot. Since the contact surfaces are bolted together, the contact friction provides a load path determined by the normal applied force (bolt preload) and the coefficient of friction. Three alternate methods that utilize spring elements, externally applied couples, and stress dependent elements are examined to model the contacted surfaces. Results of these methods are compared with results obtained from methods that use GAP elements and rigid elements.

Hoang, Joseph↗