A 3D Frictionless Contact Domain Method for Large Deformation Problems

Abstract

This work describes a three-dimensional contact domain method for large deformation frictionless contact problems. Theoretical basis and numerical aspects of this specific contact method are given in [Oliver, Hartmann, Cante, Weyler and Hernández (2009)] and [Hartmann, Oliver, Weyler, Cante and Hernández (2009)] for two-dimensional, large deformation frictional contact problems. In this method, in contrast to many other contact formulations, the necessary contact constraints are formulated on a so-called contact domain, which can be interpreted as a fictive intermediate region connecting the potential contact surfaces of the deformable bodies. This contact domain has the same dimension as the contacting bodies. It will be endowed with a displacement field, interpolated from the displacements at the contact surfaces and will be subdivided into a non-overlapping set of contact patches, where the contact constraints will be applied. For the enforcement of these contact constraints a stabilized Lagrange multiplier method is used, which allows the condensation of the introduced Lagrange multipliers, leading to a purely displacement driven problem.

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