Research of tangential cyclic loading on mechanical properties between cosine contact surfaces

Abstract The investigation of the mechanical properties of contact surfaces under tangential cyclic loading is very important for understanding the stiffness and damping of combined structures. In this paper, using Hertzian contact theory and Coulomb’s friction law, the contact mechanical mechanism of a common cosine cylindrical contact model subjected to tangential loading, unloading, and reloading is investigated, and the load-displacement curves (hysteresis curves) and the energy equations of a complete displacement cycle are deduced. The results show that under the action of tangential cyclic load, the shear stress increases immediately, and the micro slip zone outside the contact area gradually expands inward until it becomes a slip zone. At this point, the hysteresis curve changes from a ‘shuttle shaped’ to a ‘quadrilateral’ shape. In addition, nonlinear finite elements are used for static simulation to verify the accuracy of the hysteresis curve, tangential stiffness, and energy dissipation analysis of the cosine contact model under different axial crossing angles. The energy equation’s fluctuation with tangential displacement under different conditions, as well as the impact of friction coefficient, axial intersection angle of the contact surface, external load, and cosine surface characteristics on the mechanical properties of the contact surface. With the increase of surface roughness or normal load, energy increases nonlinearly with the increase of displacement. Finally, when the Von Mises stress reaches the yield limit, reciprocating displacement loading will lead to plastic accumulation, resulting in wear and tear.