RAPID SLIDING CONTACT IN THREE DIMENSIONS BY DISSIMILAR ELASTIC BODIES: EFFECTS OF SLIDING SPEED AND TRANSVERSE ISOTROPY

An isotropic elastic sphere slides on the surfaces of transversely isotropic elastic half-spaces. In one case the material symmetry axis coincides with the half-space surface normal. In the other, the axis lies in the plane of the surface. In both cases sliding proceeds with constant subcritical speed along a straight path at an arbitrary angle to the principal material axes. A 3D dynamic steady state is considered. Exact solutions for contact zone traction are derived in analytic form, as well as formulas for contact zone geometry. Although a sphere is involved, the solution process is not based on the assumption of symmetry. Anisotropy is found to largely determine zone shape at low sliding speed, but direction of sliding becomes a major influence at higher speeds.