A generalised stress intensity approach to characterising the process zone in complete fretting contacts

The known analytical contact solution for the stress field induced by a rigid, square-ended punch, sliding on an elastic half-plane defines the stress state everywhere in the half-plane. An asymptotic approach is then used to determine the characteristic stress field at the edge of the contact, which is matched with the contact solution. Hence, the regions over which the asymptotic solution is valid are found. Using a method analogous to the crack-tip stress field, a generalised stress intensity factor is defined, with the aim of providing a single variable characterisation of the stress state at the punch corner. The crack initiation process zone for a fretting fatigue crack is therefore captured, and the conditions for small scale yielding explicitly found. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.