A model for computational investigation of elasto-plastic normal and tangential contact considering adhesion effect

With the rapid development of Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS), we enter a field in which the surface effects have dominated many of the micro-scale phenomena, and the adhesive contact is one of the focuses. In this paper, a feasible model for finite element computation is presented via a macroscopic and microscopic combination approach, in which the adhesive forces are simulated by some non-linear spring elements considering the softening stage. Two basic problems concerning the adhesion effect were considered; through specific quantitative analysis, the results show a consistency with the current elastic continuum theories of adhesion and a brief investigation into the effects of adhesion on plastic deformation and tangential contact will be carried out as well. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (10172050, 90205022) and Key Grant Project of Chinese MoE (0306)