Characterization of the contact between a punch and a half-infinite substrate in a fretting situation

This paper analyzes the behavior of a mechanical system formed by a flat punch with square edges at 90 ∘ over a half-infinite substrate made of the same material under normal reversible constant and tangential loads, typical of a fretting situation. Based on previous studies of the behavior of such a system, both static and cyclic behavior are analyzed. The analysis is carried out using both analytical and numerical solutions, the latter being obtained with finite and/or boundary element codes. The kinematic behavior of the contact zone is studied (slipping, separation, or adherence), as well as the stress state of the substrate in the area surrounding the edges of the punch. The very same analyses have been made of a system equal to the latter but replacing the contact by continuity. The comparison of the solutions of the two systems gives the validity range of different continuous models, easier to use in representing the behavior of the punch–substrate system.