Node-to-node scheme for three-dimensional contact mechanics using polyhedral type variable-node elements

A node-to-node contact scheme, which is applicable for three-dimensional contact analyses involving large deformations, is developed with the aid of polyhedral elements. The key issue is to transform nonmatching meshes into matching meshes in a seamless manner. Because polyhedral elements are allowed to have arbitrary numbers of polygonal faces and nodes, they can be used as transition elements for coupling nonmatching meshes. In this paper, the polyhedral elements make it possible to always maintain node-to-node contact during the contact deformation. The present approach guarantees that the patch test is passed and the nonpenetration condition is satisfied, and hence it yields smoother contact pressure with faster convergence than the conventional node-to-surface or surface-to-surface contact scheme.