This book conveys, in a self-contained manner, the fundamental concepts for classifying types of contact, the essential mathematical methods for the formulation of contact problems, and the numerical methods required for their solution. In addition to the methodologies, it covers a broad range of applications, including contact problems in mechanical engineering, microelectronics and nanomechanics. All chapters provide both substantial background on the theory and numerical methods, and in-depth treatments of cutting-edge research topics and applications.
The book is primarily intended for doctoral students of applied mathematics, mechanics, engineering and physics with a strong interest in the theoretical modelling, numerical simulation and experimental characterization of contact problems in technology. It will also benefit researchers in the above mentioned and neighbouring fields working in academia or at private research and development centres who are interested in a concise yet comprehensive overview of contact mechanics, from its fundamental mathematical background, to the computational methods and the experimental techniques currently available for the solution of contact problems.