Stress analysis and crack growth in concentrated contacts.

This review presents some of the recent advances made in the calculation of stresses caused by concentrated contacts and in prediction of propagation of surface cracks in these contacts. Improvements to the classical Hertz theory were made for the computation of the subsurface stress field caused by elliptical contact. Several problems that involve the interaction between a concentrated contact and an inclusion or a crack were solved for plane strain. Various methods were developed in calculation of the rate of propagation of surface cracks based on several models relating the crack propagation rate and the stress intensity factor. Life predictions based on these methods are discussed. Discussion of this paper is included on p.25. (A)