Numerical frameworks for fretting fatigue life analysis: Modeling, validation and experimental comparison

A comparison of four numerical frameworks employed for the fretting fatigue life estimation of standard metallic specimens is presented. The frictional contact frameworks are: a Node-To-Node contact formulation using the boundary element method, a Node-To-Segment and a Segment-To-Segment contact formulations coupled to the finite element method, and a dual mortar formulation. The analysis procedure, repeated using each framework, is performed in three steps. The first step is the evaluation of the stress history during one loading cycle of a standard fretting fatigue setup which includes normal load, bulk load and shear load. In the second step, a critical plane approach is used to obtain the shear stress amplitude and the maximum normal stress. The final step is to employ a criterion to estimate the fatigue life. Based on previous works, the Fatemi-Socie method is selected. The validation of the stresses computed by the numerical models are carried-out using analytical formulae while the fatigue life estimations are compared to experimental data. A discussion on the performance of each framework is also provided.