Contact Problems with Friction by Linear Complementarity

This study presents a new approach to the quasi-static contact problem with friction. It is assumed that the contacting bodies (structures) are linear elastic and that their displacement fields can be described by a finite number of variables. The approach is based on concepts from the discipline of Mathematical Programming, particularly those related to the Linear Complementarity Problem. It is pointed out that the problem studied may in some cases have multiple solutions, and that in other cases a solution may not even exist.