The influence of residual stresses on contact-load-bearing capacity

Abstract The elastic and shakedown limits for several new contact geometries are determined and compared. A new limit is supplied giving the maximum load which may be elastically supported by bodies containing a cylindrical residual stress system, the optimum value for which is found. This concept is important for the optimization of the residual stresses in shot-peened, burnished, ion-implanted and similarly treated surfaces. The contact configurations considered are a circular contact patch with imposed traction, an elliptical contact patch under pure rolling loads and the repetitive normal loading of two second-order bodies. Examples of the use of the results obtained are discussed.