Determination of optimal shape of a moving punch with friction taken into account

The optimization problem for the contact interaction between a rigid punch and an elasticmediumis considered. It is assumed that that the punch is under the action of some prescribed forces and momenta and moves along a surface bounding a half-space filled with an elastic medium. It is also assumed that themotion is quasistatic and the friction forces arising in the region of contact are taken into account. The punch shape is considered as the desired design variable, and the integral functional characterizing the discrepancy between the pressure distribution in the region of contact that corresponds to the optimized shape of the punch and a given goal distribution of pressure is taken as the minimizing criterion. The optimal shape can be determined efficiently by solving the following two problems: first, to obtain the optimal pressure distribution and then to solve a boundary value problemfor the elastic half-space under the action of the obtained normal pressure and friction forces. By way of example, the optimal shape is analytically determined for a punch of rectangular shape in horizontal projection.