An elastic strip in plane rolling contact

Abstract The problem of an elastic strip passing between two rollers is considered by means of a numerical method. As a first step it is assumed that the contacting surfaces move together without mutual slipping so that a shear stress is developed at the contact interface. Comparison of these shear stresses with the normal contact stresses show that, in general, micro-slip must occur within the nip, albeit confined to the extreme edge of contact. A regime of slipping is suggested. The results provide details of the contact stresses, the indentation of the strip by the rollers, the contact width, and the speed at which the strip passes through the nip in relation to the rotational speed of the rollers.