The effect of transverse normal strain in contact of an orthotropic beam pressed against a circular surface

► Principle of virtual work accounts for transverse normal strain in contact problems. ► Analytical beam theory solutions are obtained and compared to FE elasticity solns. ► Orthotropic material behavior allows for extensive study of transverse normal strain. ► The contact stress is shown to be very sensitive to correct modeling of normal strain. ► The fundamental nature of stress at edge of contact is studied for beam theories. The contact problem of a straight orthotropic beam pressed onto a rigid circular surface is considered using beam theories that account for transverse shear and transverse normal deformations. The circular nature of the rigid surface emphasizes the difference between Euler Bernoulli theory behavior, where point loads develop at the edge of contact, and the higher order theories that predict non-singular pressure distributions. While Timoshenko beam theory is the simplest theory that addresses this behavior, the prediction of a maximum value of pressure at the edge of contact contradicts the elasticity theory result that contact pressure must drop to zero. Transverse normal strain is therefore introduced, both to study this fundamental discrepancy and to include an important effect in many contact problems. To investigate this effect, higher order beam theories that account for both constant and linear transverse normal strain through the beam thickness are derived using the principle of virtual work. The resulting orthotropic beam theories depend on the bending stiffness (EI), shear stiffness (GA), axial stiffness (EA1) and transverse normal stiffness (EA2), which are independent stiffness parameters that can differ by orders of magnitude. The above mentioned contact problem is then solved analytically for these theories, along with the Timoshenko beam model which assumes zero transverse normal strain. The results for different orthotropic materials show that inclusion of transverse normal deformation has a significant effect on the contact pressure solution. Furthermore, the solution using higher order beam theories encompasses the two extremes of a Hertz-like contact pressure when the half contact length is smaller than the thickness of the beam, and the Timoshenko beam theory case when the half contact length is much larger than the thickness. Concerning the behavior of the pressure at the edge of contact, adherence to the boundary conditions required by the principle of virtual work, shows that while the pressure does tend to z