APPLICATION OF BEM TO SOLVE 2-DIMENSIONAL THERMOELASTIC CONTACT PROBLEMS WITH CONVECTION AND RADIATION CONDITIONS

In this paper a technique, based on the boundary element method (BEM), for the treatment of two-dimensional thermoelastic contact problems w ithout friction is developed. Thermal and elastic deformations are con sidered simultaneously. Additionally, the effects of the thermal resis tance to the heat flow between both solids are included in the formula tion. This magnitude depends on the local pressure at the contact zone and on the gap at the separated ones (interstitial regions). On the o ther hand, simultaneous convection and radiation conditions at the fre e boundary of the solids and at interstitial regions are admitted in t he proposed technique of analysis. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.