CONTACT STRESS 1. Contact stresses are caused by the pressure of one elastic solid on another at limited area of contact.

In some bodies, however the, contact stress set up when curved surface of two bodies are pressed together by external loads are the significant stresses; that is, the stresses on or somewhat beneath the surface of the contact are associated with the failure of one or both of the bodies. For example, contact stresses may be significant at the area a) Between a locomotive wheel and the road rail (a rail head is curved across its top surface). b) Between a roller or a ball and its race in a roller or ball bearing. c) Between the teeth of a pair in gears in mesh. d) Between the cam and valve tappets of a gasoline engine; etc. It will be noted that in each of these examples the member donot remain in fixed contact. 2. The contact of stresses are repeated a very large number of times often resulting fatigue failure which starts as a localized fracture(crack) that is associated with localized stresses. For example, a) A railroad rail sometimes fails as a result of contact stresses; the failure start as a localized fracture in the form of minute transverse crack at a point in the head of the rail somewhat beneath the surface of contact

between the rail and the locomotive wheel, and progresses outwardly under the influence of the repeated wheel loads until the whole rail crack or fracture. This fracture is called a transverse fissure failure. b) Ball bearings and gear teeth sometimes fail as a result of contact stresses by pitting at the surface of contact. The bottom of such pits is often located at the approximate depth to the point of maximum shearing stress. The principal stresses at or on the contact area between the two curved surfaces that are pressed together are greater than at a point beneath the contact area; whereas the maximum shearing stress at a point on the contact area is usually less than that at at a point a small depth from the contact surface.

The problem of determining contact stressesFigure1 will aid the reader in visualizing the conditions involved in the problem. Two semi-circular disks made of elastic material are pressed together by force P. the two bodies are initially in contact at a single point. Sections of the boundaries of the two bodies at the point of contact are smooth curves before the load applied. The minimum and maximum radii of curvature of surface of the upper disk at the point of contact are R1 and R1, respectively. These are called principal radii of curvature of the surface. For the lower disk R2 and R2 are the minimum and maximum radii of curvature, respectively, of the surface at the point of contact. The planes in which the minimum radii R1 and R2 (or the maximum radii) lie

make an angle . In Figs. 2(a) and 2(b) are shown elevation and plain views respectively of the two disks. The line V1 and V2 which make the angle lie in the plain sections containing the minimum radii R1 and R2, respectively. The load P lie along the axis which passes through the centres of the disks and though point of contact and is perpendicular to a plane which is tangent to both disks at the point of contact. In other words, it is assumed that there is no tendency for one body to slide laterally with respect to the other and hence there is no friction force in addition to the normal force P. The effect of the load P is to cause the surface of the disks to be deformed elastically over a region surrounding the initial point of contact, thereby bringing the two bodies into contact over a small area as shown in fig. 2(b). The problem is to determine a relation between the load P and the maximum compressive stress on this small area of contact and to determine the principle stresses at any point in either disk on the line of action of the load designated at the Z axis. The principal stresses x , y , and z acting on a small cube at a point on the Z axis shown in fig. 2(c). The maximum shearing stress at the point is
max
1 z y , where z and y are the maximum and minimum 2

principal stresses at the point.

Assumptions on which solution for contact stresses is basedProperties of materials- the material of each of the two bodies is homogeneous, isotropic and elastic in accordance with Hookes law, but the two bodies are not necessarily made of the same material. Shape of surfaces near point of contact- Before loading. If two bodies in contact at a point, there is a common tangent plane to the surfaces at the point of contact. In the solution of contact stresses there is a need for a mathematical expression for the distance between corresponding points, on the surface near the point of contact, corresponding point being defined as points on the surfaces on a line perpendicular to the common tangent plane. Equation expressing the distances z to the point on the surfaces from a common tangent plane at the point of contact are needed in setting up an equation for determining the deformation of the two bodies near the initial point of contact after are applied. Instead of using the exact equation for z for a given pair of surfaces, equations which approximate the distance z between corresponding points on any two surfaces is used. The equation is
z Ax 2 By 2

In which x and y are coordinates with respect to Y and X axes that pass through the point of contact and lie in the tangent plane, and A and B are constants which depend upon the maximum and minimum radii of

curvature of the surfaces at the point of contact. Fig. 2(d) and 2(e) shows that the curve representing Eq.1 for a constant value of z in an ellipse. This fact will be important in considering the shape of the area of contact between the two bodies caused by the loads P applied to the bodies. After loading. When the load P applied to the bodies as shown in fig. 2(a), there surface deform elastically near the point of contact so that a small area of contact is formed. It is assumed that, as this small area of contact is formed. It is assumed that, as this small area of contact forms, the points which come onto contact simultaneously will be points on the two surfaces which were originally equal distance apart. According to Eq.1, equidistance points on the two surfaces lie on an ellipse. Hence the boundary line of the area of contact is assumed to be an ellipse whose equation is
x2 a2
2 y

b2

Where x and y are coordinate referred to the same axes as were specified for Eq.1. the contact area described by Eq.2 is shown in Fig.2(b). equation 1 is of sufficient importance to warrant further discussion of its validity, particularly since a method of determining the constants A and B is required in the solution of the problem of finding contact stresses.