Numerical solution of a viscoelastic contact problem with normal compliance and unilateral constraint

Abstract

A numerical method is presented for a mathematical model which describes the frictional contact between a viscoelastic body and an obstacle. The process is quasistatic and the material’s behavior is described by means of a viscoelastic constitutive law with long memory. The contact is modelled with normal compliance condition restricted by unilateral constraint, and associated to a version of Coulomb's law of dry friction. A solution algorithm is discussed and implemented. Finally, numerical simulation results are reported on a two-dimensional test problem. These simulations show the efficiency of the algorithm and the corresponding mechanical interpretations