NUMERICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL CONTACT ANALYSIS OF A STEEL BALL INDENTED INTO A FIBER-REINFORCED POLYMER COMPOSITE-MATERIAL

A three-dimensional anisotropic contact algorithm has been developed t o analyse the contact behaviour of metal-composite bodies. The element s of the influence matrix are obtained by coupled finite-element aniso tropic models. Linear elastic and approximate elastic-plastic techniqu es can evaluate the contact parameters (the normal approach, the size of the contact area and the contact pressure distribution) following d ifferent failure criteria. The contact technique is applied to the pro blem of a steel ball indented into a polymer composite material having either normal or parallel unidirectional fibre orientation. Finally, the contact results are verified by experimental evaluations. The latt er were obtained by the use of a static testing machine, a laser profi lometer, an optical microscope and a scanning electron microscope, and they illustrate the real response of the composite structure subjecte d to ball indentation. Good agreement between both methods could be de monstrated. (C) 1998 Chapman & Hall.