Covariant description of contact interfaces considering anisotropy for adhesion and friction: Part 1. Formulation and analysis of the computational model

A covariant description for contact problems including anisotropy for both adhesion and sliding domains is proposed. The principle of maximum dissipation is used to obtain a computational model in the case of quasi-static motion. Various cases including curvilinear anisotropy on arbitrary surfaces illustrating the possibility to model machined surfaces are considered. The part is served to be a necessary preparation for further finite element implementations and numerical analysis.