Bounds on the Maximum Contact Stress of an Indented Elastic Layer

This paper is concerned with the plane-strain problem of an elastic layer supported on a half-space foundation and indented by a cylinder. A study is presented of the effect of the contact condition at the layer-foundation interface on the contact stresses of the indented layer. For the general problem of elastic indenter or elastic foundation, the integral equations governing the contact stress distribution of the indented layer derived on the basis of two-dimensional theory of elasticity are given and a numerical method of solution is formulated. The limiting contact conditions at the layer-foundation interface are then investigated by considering two extreme cases, one with the indented layer in frictionless contact with the half space and the other with the indented layer rigidly adhered to the half space. Graphs of the bounds on the maximum normal stress occurring in indented elastic layers for the cases of rigid cylindrical indenter and rigid half-space foundation are obtained for possible practical applications. Some results of the elastic indenter problem are also presented and discussed.