Extraction of the generalized stress intensity factor in gross sliding complete contacts using a path-independent integral

A new procedure to extract the generalized stress intensity factor (GSIF) in full sliding complete contact problems is proposed. It is based on a path-independent integral derived from the reciprocal theorem of Maxwell-Betti and on a specially conceived extraction field. This extraction field avoids the computation of path integrals along the contact plane that start from the singular point. The methodology presented here is also applicable to configurations with large relative displacements of the indenter (gross sliding). The procedure overcomes the problems that arise when extracting the GSIF via the stress extrapolation technique, because it does not need highly refined meshes, and it can be applied far from the singularity-dominated zone and with much less user intervention. The robustness of the method has been verified with numerical examples, studying the effect of large displacements of the indenter and different discretizations.