Complete Elastic Contact Subject to Cyclic Shear in Partial Slip

A fretting fatigue test for a complete contact problem is modeled using the finite element method. The objective is to obtain the response of the specimen-indenter contact under loading–unloading cycles. These are generated by applying a cyclic shear load to the indenter, whose maximum value does not cause global sliding of the indenter, but only partial slip. The evolution of the contact conditions over several cycles is studied, as well as the intensity of the singularities present at the left and right corners, measured through the generalized stress intensity factors. In addition, some conclusions regarding the conditions that lead to partial slip are inferred. This represents a stage in the development of an asymptote-based fretting fatigue model.