Influence of bulk stress on contact conditions and stresses during fretting fatigue

[EN] This paper analyses the effect of bulk stress applied in the specimen on the contact conditions and stresses during a fretting fatigue test. The problem considered corresponds to that of a fretting bridge test using spherical contact pads. A three-dimensional finite element model together with a mesh subdivision h-adaptive procedure has been used. This has allowed for the evaluation of a precise solution at a reasonable computational cost. Finite element results have been compared with existing analytical models.