MODELING OF HYPER-ELASTIC MATERIALS IN CONTACT

Abstract

Current technology in machine and equipment industry frequently employs components made from hyper-elastic materials such as rubber, various polymeric foams etc. When pressed against another body, such materials illustrate different behavior by comparison to the contacts of linear elastic materials. It is therefore of interest to investigate the mechanical behavior of such materials in contact. The present paper advances a finite element model of the circular contact between a spherical punch made from a hyper-elastic material and a rigid half-space. The numerically obtained results are then compared to previously advance experimental results.