Axisymmetric frictionless contact of a functionally graded piezoelectric layered half-space under a conducting punch

This paper studies the axisymmetric frictionless contact of a functionally graded piezoelectric layered half-space subjected to three typical rigid punches, i.e., flat circular punch, spherical punch and conical punch. The punch is assumed as a perfect conductor with a constant electric potential. The electro-mechanical properties of the functionally graded piezoelectric materials (FGPMs) vary exponentially along the thickness direction. By employing the Hankel integral transform technique, the problem is reduced to a set of singular integral equations of the first kind. These equations are then discretized and solved numerically to determine the unknown normal contact pressure and electric charge. The effects of the gradient index and punch geometry on the surface electro-mechanical contact behaviors are discussed in detail.