Numerical and experimental contact analysis of a steel ball indented into a fibre reinforced polymer composite material

A three-dimensional anisotropic contact algorithm has been developed to analyse the contact behaviour of metal-composite bodies. The elements of the influence matrix are obtained by coupled finite-element anisotropic models. Linear elastic and approximate elastic-plastic techniques can evaluate the contact parameters (the normal approach, the size of the contact area and the contact pressure distribution) following different failure criteria. The contact technique is applied to the problem of a steel ball indented into a polymer composite material having either normal or parallel unidirectional fibre orientation. Finally, the contact results are verified by experimental evaluations. The latter were obtained by the use of a static testing machine, a laser profilometer, an optical microscope and a scanning electron microscope, and they illustrate the real response of the composite structure subjected to ball indentation. Good agreement between both methods could be demonstrated. (C) 1998 Chapman & Hall.