Numerical evaluation of the transient response due to non-smooth rolling contact using an arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian formulation

A theoretical and numerical framework to evaluate rolling contact using an arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) formulation is established. A finite element formulation is implemented featuring cylinder–plate contact, automated mesh refinement, non-reflecting boundary conditions, and the ability to incorporate surface roughness through user-defined gap functions. Presented examples include rolling contact on a corrugated surface and negotiation of a surface discontinuity. Sensitivity and validation analyses are presented and show the model to be robust and the trends in parametric responses to be reasonable as compared to results in literature. Owing to the ALE formulation, the model can be kept very compact and the computational demands very modest.