Analysis and Numerical Simulation of Rolling Contact between Sphere and Cone

In non-conforming rolling contact, the contact stress is highly concentrated in the contact area. However, there are some limitations of the special contact model and stress model used for the theoretical study of the phenomenon, and this has prevented in-depth analysis of the associated friction, wear, and failure. This paper is particularly aimed at investigating the area of rolling contact between a sphere and a cone, for which purpose the boundary is determined by the Hertz theory and the geometries of the non-conforming surfaces. The phenomenon of stick-slip contact is observed to occur in the contact area under the condition of no-full-slip（Q 〈 μ·P）. Using the two-dimensional rolling contact theory developed by CARTER, the relative positions of the stick and slip regions and the distribution of the tangential force over the contact area are analyzed. Furthermore, each stress component is calculated based on the Mc Ewen theory and the idea of narrow band. The stress equations for the three-dimensional rolling contact between the sphere and the cone are obtained by the principle of superposition, and are used to perform some numerical simulations. The results show that the stress components have a large gradient along the boundary between the stick and slip regions, and that the maximum stress is inversely proportional to the contact coefficient and proportional to the friction coefficient. A new method for investigating the stress during non-classical three-dimensional rolling contact is proposed as a theoretical foundation for the analysis of the associated friction, wear, and failure.