Rubber Covered Rolls- the Thermoviscoelastic Problem a Finite Element Solution

The coupled thermomechanical behaviour of a layer of thermorheologically simple material bonded to a uniformly rotating rigid cylinder and indented by another rigid cylinder is studied by the finite element method. The various approximations necessary to reduce the problem to one of tractable size and the computational methods used are discussed in some detail. The complete thermal, deformation and stress fields may be computed. Some results, computed for a grid using 'rectangular' elements, presented graphically include the temperature distribution, the stress distribution near the bond surface, the contact pressure distribution and the asymmetric surface deformation of the rubberlike laver.