Regularized frictional contact problems with the interior point method

The aim of this paper is to present an algorithm to solve frictional contact problems by considering the Coulomb’s criterion. As it is known, the frictional contact problem using Coulomb’s criterion has no minimization principle behind. However in order to use algorithms based on minimization methods, the frictional contact problem is written as an optimization one, more specifically as a sequence of Tresca contact problems. Moreover a family of regularization functions is introduced in order to regularize the non-smooth character of the Tresca criterion, which in some cases can have an experimental justifications. As each minimization problem becomes smooth enough, the interior point method is used to solve the generated optimization problem, which has some advantages when the non-penetration constraints are imposed in a symmetrical manner.