Modeling of contact fatigue damage accumulation and wear between contacting imperfectly smooth surfaces
A model is constructed for contact fatigue damage accumulation in an elastic half-space sliding against a periodic one-level system of rigid spherical asperities. The model is based on solving the contact problem of the penetration of a periodic system of asperities into an elastic half-space, taking into account the interaction of contact spots and assuming that the fatigue damage accumulation rate depends on the amplitude of the maximum shear stresses in the elastic half-space. Assuming the absence of friction forces, we study the influence of the density of asperities and the nominal pressure on the damage accumulation rate and the depth of the most damaged layer, as well as on the kinetics of contact fatigue wear such as delamination of an elastic body.