Boundary Element Tools For The Finite Body Unilateral Contact Problem

A numerical solution of the three dimensional frictionless contact problem and its data parallel implementation on the Connection Machine system CM-2 is presented. The numerical solution is obtained by means of boundary element discretization of a variational inequality and related extremum principle; the associated Green's function is approximated by means of standard direct boundary element procedure. Important new results for the three dimensional finite body contact problem are reported. The results clearly illustrate the distinct ability of the method to capture the influence of the body shape and loading on the contact area and the pressure acting in it.