The effect of contact interface on dynamic characteristics of composite structures

In this project, nonlinear characteristics on the rolling interface of a linear guide were studied by the finite element analysis and experimental verification. Contact of the ball/surface rolling interface in the rolling guides was simulated as a three-dimensional membrane element without thickness. By introducing Hertzian contact theory and applying proper normal/shear stiffness to such contact elements in the overall finite element model, dynamic behaviors of linear guides affected by preload were thus investigated. In the finite element procedure, three contact models, 1D point-to-point, 2D point-to-point and 3D surface-to-surface, were sequentially introduced for purpose of verification with experiments. As a validation in this project, vibrational experiments on linear guides with different preloads were conducted and related frequency spectrums were derived. Both the finite element and the experimental results reveal that the natural frequency of a linear guide increases with the increment of the preload. In addition, the dynamic characteristics predicted by finite element analysis agree well with those measured from instrumental experiments. The proposal of current study may provide an alternate and reliable way for understanding of the dynamic characteristic of the rolling contact components in machine design field. © 2006 IMACS. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.