Publication Details

Stability and patch test performance of contact discretizations and a new solution algorithm

Nagi El-Abbasi and Klaus-Jürgen Bathe
Journal:Computers & Structures
Volume: 79, Number: 16, page: 1473-1486, June 2001

    Abstract    
Stability and patch test performance are two important issues influencing the selection of discretization algorithms for flexible body contact problems. The patch test performance is dictated by the accuracy of evaluation of the contact integrals, not by the specific form of the gap, contact pressure, or contact surface definitions. Stability on the other hand, is related to the form of the assumed contact pressure distribution. In this paper, several commonly used contact algorithms are briefly summarized, and their stability in an inf–sup test and performance in a contact patch test are assessed. The existing algorithms do not satisfy both requirements. This fact has motivated the development of a new algorithm for flexible body contact problems that results in a symmetric coefficient matrix and satisfies both the stability and the contact patch conditions.
Keyword: Contact; Finite element solution; Stability; Patch test
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