Author(s)

P.D. Panagiotopoulos & E.K. Koltsakis

Abstract

The direct boundary integral approach to the frictional unilateral contact problem in cracks P.D. Panagiotopoulos"^, E.K. Koltsakis" "Institute of Steel Structures, Aristotle University, GR-54006 Thessaloniki, Greece ^Faculty of Math and Physics, RWTH, 50 Aachen, Germany ABSTRACT The paper presents a theory for the study of cracks having a given geom- etry by taking into account mechanical interactions like unilateral contact and friction between the crack sides. The interactions studied are of general monotone type. The arising problems are of non-classical nature, due to the interface conditions expressed it terms of non-differentiable convex super- potentials. The direct B.I.E.M. is extended appropriately in order to treat this type of problem. The developed method is illustrated by a numerical example concerning the calculation of strees fields with and without the contact consideration showing the influence of the ommision of this aspect of the phenomenon to the stress felds. I

Keywords