Modeling of surface wear by the particle finite element method: application to tunneling processes

This work introduces the advances in the Particle Finite Element Method (PFEM) for the modeling of contact and wear between solid materials. The PFEM is an original conjunction of solution strategies. The method has its foundation on the Lagrangian description of the motion of a continuum medium built from a set of particles with known physical properties. The capabilities of the PFEM makes it very suitable for modeling rapid changing boundaries and moving free surfaces. The method uses a remeshing process combined with the Alpha-shape concept to detect the contacting surface and a finite element mesh for the mechanical computation. A new treatment of contact has been developed for the PFEM scheme, the Contact Constraint Method. When contacting forces are computed, an Archard law is used for the wear calculation. The material parameters govern the coupling of contact and wear between the solid domains. The method has been applied to model tunneling processes. Preliminary results show that the PFEM is a very suitable tool for the simulation of wear. Also for the treatment of several other processes related in the common interaction between solid domains