Solutions of half-space and half-plane contact problems based on surface elasticity

Analytical solutions for the problems of an elastic half-space and an elastic half-plane subjected to a distributed normal force are derived in a unified manner using the general form of the linearized surface elasticity theory of Gurtin and Murdoch. The Papkovitch-Neuber potential functions, Fourier transforms and Bessel functions are utilized in the formulation. The newly obtained solutions are general and reduce to the solutions for the half-space and half-plane contact problems based on classical linear elasticity when the surface effects are not considered. Also, existing solutions for the half-space and half-plane contact problems based on simplified versions of Gurtin and Murdoch's surface elasticity theory are recovered as special cases of the current solutions. By applying the new solutions directly, Boussinesq's flat-ended punch problem, Hertz's spherical punch problem and a conical punch problem are solved, which lead to depth-dependent hardness formulas different from those based on classical elasticity. The numerical results reveal that smoother elastic fields and smaller displacements are predicted by the current solutions than those given by the classical elasticity-based solutions. Also, it is shown that the out-of-plane displacement and stress components strongly depend on the residual surface stress. In addition, it is found that the new solutions based on the surface elasticity theory predict larger values of the indentation hardness than the solutions based on classical elasticity. © 2012 Springer Basel AG.