Numerical studies on the surface effects caused by inhomogeneities on torsional fretting

•The development of a numerical approach capable of solving heterogeneous torsional contact problems.•The understanding of the influence of a single inhomogeneity on torsional contact behaviors.•The correlation of inhomogeneity distribution parameters with the surface effects of materials.

This research explores the influence of inhomogeneities on the torsional fretting via a newly developed semi-analytical method with considering the load history. The disturbances of elastic fields caused by inhomogeneities are modeled based on Eshelby’s equivalent inclusion method. Solutions are achieved iteratively through considering the coupling of surface tractions and subsurface inhomogeneities. The influences of a single inhomogeneity are investigated, revealing that the presence of an inhomogeneity causes significant surface effects on the torsional fretting. Further, the influences of inhomogeneity distribution parameters on the torsional fretting performance are quantified, demonstrating the capability of the proposed method.