Influence of plasticity and friction on the contact mechanics of auxetic materials

Contact interactions play an important role in the tribological behavior of engineering materials. This paper develops a finite element model to investigate the contact mechanics and stress distribution of auxetic materials, i.e., materials with negative Poisson’s ratio. The model results are compared with numerical and mathematical models for isotropic auxetic polymers. The indentation of auxetic materials is analyzed for the effects of friction, plasticity and allowing separation after contact with a spherical indenter using a commercial software, abaqus. The results are discussed in terms of stress profiles, force-indentation depth curves, plasticity, friction, internal energy, compressibility, sink-in, and the pile-up of material. It is concluded that for purely elastic contact, the indentation resistance increases for auxetic materials and the inclusion of friction shifts subsurface stresses closer to the surface. However, the introduction of plasticity negates the improvement of increased indentation resistance. The pile-up of material around the indent reduces for auxetic materials which makes them more suitable for rolling/sliding contacts. The internal strain energy decreases for purely elastic contact and increases for an elastic/plastic contact.