AXISYMMETRIC CONTACT OF TWO TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE BODIES WITH DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES

The axisymmetric steady-state contact problem of thermoelasticity is considered for two semibounded bodies. The coefficients of thennal conductivity and linear expansion of the bodies in contact depend on the temperatute. An approximate solution of the problem is obtained. In the particular case of the constant thennophysical properties of the materials, this solution is in agreement with the familiar results [1-3]. The numerical computation of the basic contact characteristics is carried out for the case where the parameters of one of the interacting bodies are independent of the temperature while the other is made of AXF-QI graphite which is a temperature-sensitive material. The solution of the steady-state problem of indentation of the half-space by a rigid hot sphere is found in [1]. For the contact of heated elastic bodies, it is established [2] that the character of the solution is defined by the quantity Q = [T][sigma], where [T] = T1 - T2 (the Ti are the temperatures of the interacting bodies at points located far away from the contact zone), [sigma] = Sigma1 -sigma2 (the sigmai = alphai(1 + Vi)Ki are the coefficients of thennal distortions and the vi, alphai., and Ki are Poissonʹs ratios, the coefficients of linear temperalure expansion, and the heat conductivities, respectively. In the cases of Q >0 , Q = 0. and Q < 0, the radius of the contact circle is greater than, equal to, and less than the radius of the contact area for the corresponding Hertz problem, respectively. Besides, in the case of Q > 0, the contact stresses are tensile in an annular zone near the edge of the contact area, however small is the difference [T] (the paradox of "cold sphere").