Three dimensional elastoplastic contact analysis at large strains with enhanced assumed strain elements

In this paper, a model for elastoplastic contact analysis under large strain conditions is presented. Consideration of the impenetrability constraints follows through a penalty formulation. Due to the presence of large strains and to the impenetrability restrictions, special care by the choice of the ®nite element formulation is required. Here, the enhanced assumed strain concept is employed. Since this concept is based on the enhancement of the strain ®elds with no interelement continuity requirement imposed, the simple global structure of the displacement based model remains unchanged.